What de Soto Knew But Didn't Tell Them
by CrazyJan57
Summary: Sequel to Repercussions. Victoria and Diego arrive home from their honeymoon to find an old family acquaintance staying as a house guest, while a former foe plots revenge. Based on NW Zorro
1. Chapter 1

**WHAT DE SOTO KNEW BUT DIDN'T TELL THEM**

Disclaimer – I don't own the rights, Zorro Productions Inc does - I just like to play with the characters.

Plot - Victoria and Diego arrive home from their honeymoon to find an old acquaintance staying as a house guest, while a former foe plots revenge.

Sequel to "Repercussions"

This was only meant to be several chapters long to bring a closure to a part of Repercussions that I didn't finish but it developed a life of its own and is now a fully fledged story. I'm also thinking of turning this into a trilogy with Repercussions as part 1.

Many thanks to DietMJ who gave me the title of this story in one of her reviews :)

* * *

Chapter 1

A cloaked and hooded figure strode purposely down the dark alleyway in the more disreputable part of Madrid with an air of calm indifference mixed with arrogance that made the local inhabitants steer clear of him; they knew he wasn't some innocent traveller who had taken the wrong turn and be easy prey for the pickpockets, the tricksters and the harlots. This cloaked man was clearly on a mission; a mission that was none of their business so they let him pass without harassment or comment.

He continued unmolested down the alleyway until he came to the corner and found the place he was looking for. Above a doorway was a wooden sign; a sign that had seen better days. The wood was cracked and brittle, the picture of Spanish Bluebells had faded from its once former glory and and it hung from a rusty iron frame that creaked from the slight breeze. It was The Twelve Bells, a tavern that had a reputation for rowdiness and lawlessness but most importantly for it was known for harbouring a certain type of person.

He pulled open the heavy door and was immediately assaulted by the overwhelming smell of stale smoke, of alcohol and of unwashed bodies but he forced himself not to react to the stench and moved further inside. The noise level dropped to an almost complete silence as everyone slowly turned to face the stranger but after a couple of moments, the patrons having decided that he wasn't a threat to them, turned their backs and conversation started once again.

The stranger did not remove his hood as he walked over to the bar where he was greeted by a giant of a man who was missing three front teeth. He was cleaning glasses with a rather dirty looking rag that looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks. "What can I get ya?"

"I'm looking for Vargas." The hooded man replied.

The bartender frowned. "Why?"

"I have some business with him."

The other man snorted. "Well he doesn't have any business with you." he replied as he reached for another glass to clean.

The hooded man pulled out several coins and tossed them onto the bar. "Where is Vargas?" he demanded as his voice took on a cold tone which the bartender didn't like and was about to throw him out when a voice stopped him.

"It's alright Lebrón."

The hooded figure smirked at the bartender before he turned in the direction of the voice. "Vargas?"

The man jerked his head in the direction of the far corner. "Over there."

He nodded and walked over to the dark corner where he saw a heavily scarred faced man seated at a table drinking ale. "Vargas."

"Have a seat senor." Vargas replied as he kicked out a chair for the hooded figure; he was highly curious to know what this man wanted.

The stranger sat on the chair and gazed at the man seated across from him. The reputation of Vargas for his...craft...was well known and he needed someone who would get the job done, with no questions asked. "I have a job for you to do."

"A job? I don't know what you mean Senor. I doubt there's anything I could help you with." he replied innocently.

"Come now Vargas, we both know what you do, so don't insult my intelligence by denying it." The man said calmly.

Vargas chuckled at the stranger's confidence. "Very well, tell me what it is and then I will decide."

"Good, now this is what I want..."

Twenty minutes later.

"You are asking a lot Senor." Vargas said calmly as he took a sip of his ale while he considered the offer.

The hooded man nodded. "I'm also paying a lot."

Vargas grunted. "It's not enough, for there is much danger."

"There is always danger but I will give you same amount again once the task is completed."

Vargas leant back in his chair as he considered the stranger across from him. He could only see the lower half of the man's face which seemed to be rather ordinary with the usual moustache that most men wore but he did notice the expensive and rather ostentatious ring he was wearing on the little finger of his right hand; the man had been lucky not to have been killed for that ring alone.

"That's a large sum of money senor, how do I know that you will pay?"

The hooded man shrugged. "You don't."

The two men regarded each other for several moments.

"Very well, I agree." Vargas finally said.

"Good. Now remember it must look like an accident." The hooded man warned as he handed over the small bag of money.

Vargas nodded as he took the bag. "It will be done senor. How will I get word to you?"

The hooded man stood up and looked down at the other man. "You don't. I will know if you are successful and then I will send the rest of the money to this tavern."

Vargas took a gamble and nodded. "Very well."

Without another word the hooded man turned and walked out of the dimly light tavern and out into the night.

* * *

The driver of the dusty stage coach cracked his whip to urge his team of tired horses up the small hill before the last stretch into Los Angeles. It had been a hard and tiring journey for both man and beast; the main road between Monterey and Los Angeles had been blocked in three separate places due to the recent heavy rains that had caused small landslides and it had forced travellers to take the old road, which was narrower and full of deep ruts.

"Gee up." The driver called out to his horses as they finally crested the rise and the passengers inside breathed a sigh of relief. They knew that it was a straight road from now on and they faced a relatively easy journey into Los Angeles.

Doña Victoria straightened herself up after the last of the ruts had thrown her against her husband and exchanged a somewhat irritated glance with Diego, who knew how she felt; he too was tired of the jolts and longed for the time they weren't being tossed around like a ship at sea.

"It won't be long now." he reassured her. "Perhaps another twenty minutes and then we'll be home."

"It's not soon enough if you ask me." she replied. "All I want to do is to sit on a soft seat that doesn't move and stay there for a week" she complained as she stretched her back.

He leant down slightly and whispered hotly in her ear. "Would a soft bed do?"

She felt a flush creep over her face at this suggestion but she wasn't going to let him get away with that. "Well, I guess it depends on the bed doesn't it? Not all of them are soft." she whispered back with a teasing gleam in her brown eyes.

Diego grinned. "That's true but I can assure you that mine is soft." he replied as he caressed the skin of her wrist, please by the slight tremor his action caused. He had been surprised by how much he had to restrain himself not to touch her; at least in public anyway. In private, he just couldn't get enough of her; her soft smooth skin and her hot kisses drove him crazy and he guessed it was the result of six years of suppressed yearnings that made him somewhat possessive of her.

Victoria smirked. "So is mine."

"Mine's bigger." he whispered back as he caressed her wrist once more before his attention was turned to one of the other passengers who had asked him a question about Los Angeles.

Even as she giggled at their silly conversation, she shivered at the soft caress; a reaction that she always had whenever he touched her. She never realised just how much she could be affected by his touch until the first time they had made love. He had been gentle, understanding but oh so passionate and his touch made her whole body come alive with astonishing sensations that she had never knew existed.

She had wondered at his apparent knowledge of lovemaking and when she had queried him about it, he had replied in typical Diego fashion, that he had read about it in a book. But in turn he was curious about her, for she seemed to have some knowledge herself, even though she had been as innocent as he had been and with an embarrassed grin, she told him of what had happened just after she had taken over the tavern.

She had a married couple staying overnight on their way to San Diego and later that night, she had heard muffled cries coming from their room and thinking that the woman was in trouble, she had barged in without knocking and had stopped dead by what she had seen. She had blushed furiously and apologised profusely before she retreated rapidly, closing the door behind her. She had decided there and then that she would always knock loudly and call out first before opening doors to any occupied guest room.

She had also told him that over the following ten years she had inadvertently come across several amorous couples who had not closed their door completely but out of a sense of privacy for her guests, she quietly closed it herself and in doing so, she had gained a further understanding into what occurs between men and women, even though she had no personal experience of it.

Victoria's musings stopped as the stage coach rumbled under the wooden sign, signalling their arrival in Los Angeles and as she looked out of the window she was surprised that it looked the same before she left. Somehow she had expected it to be changed but then she realised that it was her who had changed; she was now a married woman with a new position in their community. A position that she was somewhat uncertain about; she had some memories of Diego's mother and of how much she was respected by everyone and she wasn't sure of she could live up to Doña Felicidad's example.

Just then the stage came to a halt outside the tavern and with a final call of encouragement to his team of horses, the driver jumped down from his seat and opened the door of his stage coach.

"Senor and señoras, we'll be here for an hour, so you're free to stretch your legs and perhaps refresh yourself at the tavern." He said with a knowing smile at Victoria. They had known each other for many years and the stage always brought in extra cash from the thirsty and hungry passengers.

Victoria smiled as he helped her down from the coach and then her smile widened as she saw her father-in-law waiting for them at the bottom of the tavern steps and she quickly walked several paces to him.

"Welcome back, my daughter." Don Alejandro said with a beaming smile as he pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Gracias Father." she replied as she hugged him back. "It's good to be off the stage." she added as she pulled away.

He gave an understanding look. "That bad was it?" he asked as his son came up to them.

Diego snorted. "Bad doesn't even begin to describe the last couple of days." he said as he gave his father a quick embrace, while Victoria excused herself and made her way inside the tavern, eager to make sure that everything was okay in the weeks they had been away.

Don Alejandro grinned as he watched his daughter-in-law walk inside. "Don't tell me that she is tired of your company already Diego?" he teased.

Diego chuckled. "Not at all but Victoria does want to check on things. This has been the longest that she's been away and well, I think she is still very protective of the tavern even though Jaime is the manager." He replied as Miguel came up to him and handed over their bags. "Gracias Miguel."

Don Alejandro nodded. "Of course, I'm rather protective of our ranch, so I know how she feels." he paused as he gazed at his son for a moment.

Diego saw his father looking at him rather strangely. "There's nothing wrong is there? Is Felipe okay? Where is he anyway, I thought he might have been here." He said a little disappointed as he looked around and although a number of friends smiled their greetings to him, he didn't see his son.

Don Alejandro shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with Felipe, he's just keeping our house guest entertained."

Diego turned back to his father. "Oh, did one of the wedding guests stay over?" he asked curiously. He wasn't expecting any of their guests to stay longer than a few days before travelling back home.

Don Alejandro shook his head once more. "No, it's..."

He was interrupted by Victoria coming out of the tavern with Mendoza behind her. He smiled widely as he held out his hand. "Welcome back Don Diego. How was San Francisco? Did you go to Ricardo's bakery as I suggested. He and his wife make the most mouth watering bread you have ever tasted."

Diego smiled as he shook his hand. "As a matter of fact, we did and yes, their bread was delicious and they wanted us to give you their best wishes."

Mendoza beamed with happiness. "That was very kind of them. They are good people."

Victoria nodded. "Yes they are." she turned to Diego with a large smile. "Jaime said that nothing happened while we were gone, except that..."

Mendoza bounced excitedly on his feet. "I'm getting married Don Diego." he beamed happily.

Diego was thrilled, pleased that this good and honest man had finally found happiness. "That's wonderful news Jaime, I am so happy for you and Señora Solis. Have you set a date yet?"

He shook his head. "No, not yet but..." he was interrupted by someone calling out his name from inside the tavern. "Ah, please excuse me Doña Victoria, gentlemen, I must go."

"Of course Jaime." Victoria said as they watched him go.

"I don't think I have seen him so happy before." Diego said with a large smile on his face.

Don Alejandro chuckled. "I know what you mean but he hasn't been engaged to be married before either. They are well suited with their love of food and they obviously have great feelings for each other."

"It's truly wonderful news for our former sergeant but now I'm eager to get home and see who our house guest is."

A slight frown crossed Victoria's features as she turned to Don Alejandro. "One of the wedding guests?"

Don Alejandro smiled at their almost identical question. "No, not one of the guests. Come, the carriage is around the side." he said as he led the way around the other side of the building, while Victoria gazed at her husband curiously. "Do you know who it is?" She asked as they followed Don Alejandro.

Diego shook his head as he carried their bags. "No but I guess we'll find out soon enough." he replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So father, who's our guest?" Diego asked as they drove along the dusty road towards the hacienda.

Don Alejandro smiled as he gently shook the reins and urged the two horses into a gentle but steady pace. "Teo." he replied.

Diego frowned. "Teo? Teo Cervántez?"

The older man nodded. "That's right."

Diego's eyebrow rose in surprise. "What's he doing here, he once said that nothing would make him come out to the Americas because of his sea sickness." he grinned as he remembered a story of Teo being sick on board a ship that was only anchored in the harbour at Cadiz, who then blamed it on the food he had eaten earlier in the day but no-one believed it.

Don Alejandro chuckled. "That's very true." he replied.

Victoria spoke up. "Who's Teo?"

Diego grinned as he turned to his wife. "He happens to be a close friend of the King and as well as old family friend. I enjoyed many dinners with Teo and his wife while I was studying at university in Madrid. In fact if things had been different, he could have been my father." he said with a teasing gleam in his blue eyes.

She frowned as she gazed at the two men. "A friend of the King? Your father? I don't understand."

Don Alejandro laughed and shook his head. "Teo was my rival for the affections of Diego's mother but luckily for me, she returned mine and not Teo's, much to his disbelief. He just couldn't believe that she would actually consider entering into a courtship with a common solider and the thought of her marrying one was too much for him to bear and he tried any number of ways to get me out of the way." he paused as he grinned at the memory of one of Teo's pranks.

"I remember once, he had sent a note to me, in my commanding officer's name mind you, requesting for me to travel to Barcelona and escort some twenty or so new recruits back to Madrid for further training. It was a very convincing letter but unfortunately for Teo, my commanding officer was with me at the time that I received it and he was lucky that the Colonel saw the funny side of it and didn't call him out for a duel."

Victoria laughed; it wasn't often she heard them talk about Doña Felicidad and it was wonderful to learn more about Diego's mother and her courtship with her soon to be husband. "Did she ever find out what happened?"

Don Alejandro shook his head as he turned the horses off the main road and onwards towards their home. "Not at the time, but I told her after we were married and she just laughed and called us boys. Which I suppose was how we were behaving, like schoolboys playing practical jokes on each other and not like the grown men that we were. It may seem strange but even as we fought over Felicidad's hand, a friendship grew between us and we've remained friends ever since. In fact it was just over a year after I married Diego's mother, Teo found someone to love once more and this time, she loved him back. We attended their wedding a week before we left for California to take over the ranch from my father."

Victoria smiled warmly at the story. "It just goes to show that there's someone special for everyone, you just have to find him or her."

Diego shook his head in amusement. "How like a woman to say that."

Victoria's smile turned into a small frown. "Just what do you mean by that Diego? Are you saying that love is only for women and that no-one has a soul mate?" She asked with growing annoyance. "If that was the case then we why did we wait for the last six years if we weren't meant to be together?"

Don Alejandro felt his son's eyes on him but he refused to be drawn into a disagreement between husband and wife; his son would soon learn which battles to fight but most importantly which ones not to fight.

Diego held back a sigh as he turned to his irritated wife; he should have known better than to offend Victoria's strong beliefs about the fairer sex. "Of course not, it's just that women seem to talk more openly about love then men do." he reached out and took her hand in his. "I knew from that first day when I walked into the tavern that we were meant to be together." he raised her hand and planted a lingering kiss to her soft skin. "Without you I would be nothing." he said quietly.

Victoria's irritation faded at the sincerity of his words as well as the love in his eyes and silently cursed herself for getting annoyed without a really good reason. She remembered what her mother once told her about marriage; that there would be plenty of misunderstandings, on both sides and that she must to decide if it was worth fighting or not and in this case, it wasn't.

She squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry. I love you too Diego." she replied softly just as they pulled up outside the front gate of their home but not before he kissed her hand once more.

Don Alejandro was pleased by what he saw and heard; both were willing to see the other side and apologise. He also knew that not all arguments would end so easily. He leapt down and grabbed their bags while Diego helped his wife from the carriage. "You never told us why Teo is here father."

Don Alejandro shrugged. "I'm not really sure but I think it's something to do with you." He replied as they walked up to the front door.

Diego frowned. "Me!" He said somewhat surprised as his father opened the door and they walked inside.

"Hey Teo, we're back." Don Alejandro called out as he handed over the bags to Manuel who smiled warmly the newlyweds. "Welcome home Doña Victoria, Don Diego."

"Gracias Manuel." Diego replied before a loud booming voice called out. "Diego, not only do I find that you have a teenage son who beat me rather soundly at chess but you went and got yourself married."

Diego turned around and grinned as a tall, well dressed older man emerged from the library with a beaming Felipe behind him. "Yes, that's right Teo." he replied as he shook the older man's hand. "Father should have warned you that we both taught my son how to play chess."

Teo chuckled. "He did but as always I didn't listen. He's a very good player Diego, you should be proud of him."

Diego grinned as he saw the tips of his son's ears turn pink. "I am." he replied as Felipe came up to him and signed his greetings before they embraced warmly.

Teo turned his attention to beautiful young woman standing beside Diego. "Well now, I must meet the woman who finally captured Diego de la Vega."

Diego chuckled at his choice of words as he exchanged a knowing look with Victoria; she certainly captured her masked hero. "Teo, this is my wife, Victoria. Victoria, this is Teodoro Roldán Cervántez, an old friend of the family," he introduced them with a wink to his father, who shook his head with a grin.

Teo smiled warmly as he reached for her hand. "An honour to meet you Doña Victoria. May I congratulate you on your marriage to Diego." he said as he raised her hand to place a light kiss to her skin as required by his station as a gentleman.

Victoria felt a slight flush rise over her lovely features at his gallantry. "Gracias Teodoro, I'm pleased to meet you too."

"Please call me Teo, everyone does. Only my mother calls me Teodoro. A most horrible woman, if I may say so." he commented with a teasing gleam in his brown eyes.

Victoria didn't know how to take his words but by the way Diego and his father chuckled, she was sure it was spoken in jest. At least she hoped it was. "Teo it is then."

"So Teo, what brings you all the way out here, especially when you swore that you never would, after what happened in Cadiz." Diego asked with a grin.

Teo shook his head. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you Diego?" he paused as he glanced Don Alejandro who seemed to understand what he wanted.

"Why don't the two of you go and freshen up after your journey and then we can all sit down together comfortably over a leisurely lunch and catch up on gossip." Don Alejandro suggested as he placed his hand on his son's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

Diego picked up on the silent message and became even more curious as to what Teo was doing here. "That's not a bad idea father, I wouldn't mind a change of clothes, what about you Victoria?"

She too had noticed the odd behaviour between the men but she took her cue from Diego and looked down at her dusty clothes with a wry smile. "Yes, I would love to get out of these dusty clothes and have a rest."

Teo grinned. "Well that's settled then. Take your time, I'm not going anyway. I might even have another game of chess with your young man and see if I can regain some of my pride." he said as he glanced at the young teenager, who grinned back.

Diego smiled warmly. "Well until later then. Father, Teo." he said as he put an arm around Victoria's waist and guided her in the direction of their rooms.

Once they were out of earshot and walking down the hallway, Victoria spoke up. "Your father knows something."

"Yes, he seems to know something, doesn't he." he replied as they came to a stop outside their rooms and before Victoria knew it, she was swept off her feet and into her husband's arms.

"Diego, what are you doing?" she giggled in delight; she loved being picked up in his strong arms. She knew it was a little silly; after all she was perfectly capable of walking into the room herself but at the same time it felt romantic and somewhat heroic to her. Just like a certain masked bandit.

He chuckled as he carried her inside his room. "Just carrying my bride across the threshold."

* * *

An hour later Diego and Victoria walked into the sala, feeling refreshed; both had bathed and changed into clean clothes and were highly curious as to what Teo was doing in Los Angeles. After a light lunch, in which they chatted about family gossip and the general happenings in Los Angeles and in Spain, they all moved into the library where Victoria and Diego took the lounge, while Don Alejandro, Felipe and Teo sat on the chairs.

Teo cleared his throat and smiled. "I guess the time has come to tell you the reason for my visit." he paused as he glanced at Don Alejandro before he continued. "Alejandro only knows that I'm here on a mission for the King and that you're involved Diego."

Diego exchanged a glance with his father, who shrugged and then he gazed at Victoria, who was equally confused. "Me? What have I done?" He asked, hoping that it wasn't anything to do with Zorro. He knew that the exploits of the masked bandit had reached Madrid but he doubted that anyone knew the identity of Zorro except for his father, Felipe and Victoria and of course Ignacio de Soto.

Teo shook his head. "No, you haven't done anything. In fact, it's your father who has."

Don Alejandro's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Me! I think you need to explain yourself Teo. I haven't done anything against the King." he said heatedly. He had always been loyal to the King.

Teo held up his hand to stop him; he knew all too well the temper of the de la Vegas, having had personal experience of it all those years ago when they were both vying for the attentions of the same lady. "It's nothing like that Alejandro, everyone knows of your loyalty to the King and it's that very loyalty that the King has decided to reward you and your family."

Don Alejandro looked impressed. "Well that's generous of the King. Is he going to increase the credits we get for the cattle to offset against our other taxes?"

Teo chuckled. "No but I'm sure that could be arranged, however it's much more that just money." he said as he glanced at Diego before he turned his attention back to Don Alejandro.

"In recognition of the last thirty five years of loyal service to the King and to Spain, first as a military officer and secondly for the many years of supplying vital food supplies to both the military and the people, the King has decided to bestow upon your son, Diego Sebastian de la Vega, the noble title of Marqués of Villafranca." he said to a suddenly silent room with the only sound coming from a clock ticking on the mantelpiece above the fireplace.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

For several moments there was complete silence before Don Alejandro spluttered. "This isn't one of your practical jokes, is it Teodoro? Because if it is, then it's in very poor taste to use the King like that."

Teo chuckled; he must have really shocked his friend if he had to revert to calling him by his full name. He shook his head. "No, it's no joke. I give you my word on it Alejandro." he replied.

"A...a...Marqués?" Diego muttered, not believing what he heard, while Victoria's jaw dropped and Felipe just stared uncomprehendingly at Teo.

It was hard for Teo not to laugh at their expressions of disbelief, of their shock, of their lack of understanding, all of which was perfectly understandable; it wasn't every day that you became a member of the nobility. "Yes, that's right Diego, the King has decided to make you a Marqués." he paused as he turned his attention to Don Alejandro. "You do understand why the King chose your son and not yourself for this honour." he said kindly.

Don Alejandro nodded. "Because Diego has royal blood from his mother and I do not."

Teo nodded. "That's right."

"I...I...don't understand." Victoria finally found her voice, even though it reflected her total confusion. "Isn't that a...royal title...but...how...why?" she stuttered as she looked between Diego and Teo.

Diego was slowly recovering from the initial shock but he still couldn't think. "Actually it's a Noble title, not a Royal one. Royal titles are only for the King and his immediate family." he said absently.

She frowned. "But...but if you become a...Marqués ...what does that make me?"

It was Teo who answered. "You would become a Marquesa."

Victoria's jaw dropped once more as she stared incredulously at Teo. "But...but...that's ridiculous...I can't...I mean I'm just a commoner...I was born at the tavern. Why would I become a...a...Marquesa if Don Alej...I mean father, can't be the Marqués because he doesn't have royal blood, then I obviously can't either..." she said unbelievingly as she gripped her husband's hand as though it was a lifeline.

Teo smiled re-assuringly at the young woman. "I know it seems strange Victoria but the wife of a Marqués automatically becomes a Marquesa regardless of the circumstances of her family. The title is for the man, not the woman."

She shook her head. "But...but...my father died in prison and my mother was executed by the representative of the King, the previous Alcalde, so my family isn't exactly what you call noble." She heard her voice rising in panic and she forced herself to calm down.

Teo frowned slightly as he looked at both Diego and Alejandro and received their nods of confirmation of her family. "Mmmm, well, perhaps it would be best not to mention it, not that it would matter except for those rather ghastly women who would love nothing better than to spread gossip." he added.

Victoria became even more worried by that remark. She had concerns about becoming Doña and how the wives of the local caballeros would treat her since she had married into the wealthiest family in the district, perhaps in the whole of California but now the thought of becoming a Marquesa, a Lady of the Nobility, began to frighten her. This wasn't some party being held at one their neighbours, this was high society, the highest in Spain. How would the other women react to her, knowing that she was a commoner, someone who had been born in a tavern in a small pueblo in the colonies, someone who hadn't been raised in the proper ways of behaviour. She doubted that they would accept her.

Felipe had sat still listening to them with growing anxiety; he too was worried about how it would affect him. He knew from his studies that the nobility titles were hereditary, so did that mean that he would become a Marqués too or would the adoption make that invalid because he wasn't his father's own flesh and blood son. Would they accept him or not, especially as he couldn't speak.

Diego gazed thoughtfully at son and wondered how this news would affect him. "What about Felipe? Would my adoption of him affect the title in any way?" he asked.

Teo shook his head as he shifted in his seat. "I don't believe so but we can confirm that at a later date. Legally Felipe is your son and so therefore he has every right to succeed you as Marqués."

Don Alejandro frowned. "So it's to be a hereditary title then?" he asked.

"Yes, that's right, it's hereditary but as with our system of nobility, it doesn't automatically go to the firstborn and it doesn't have to be to a male heir either. The title could go to a daughter as well." Teo said as he gazed at the younger man with a wry smile. "I won't bore you with all the formalities regarding succession except to say that after the death of any member of the nobility, the senior heir makes a formal petition to the King requesting permission to take over the title and it is up to the King to grant it. It's just a formality and it's rarely rejected. The senior heir has two years in which to make the petition and after that time, other heirs may come forward to claim the title."

Felipe swallowed hard, at the moment he was the only heir until his father and Victoria have children on their own. He didn't know what to think about the possibility of becoming a Marqués; he just couldn't see himself in that position, either now or in the distant future. If fact, he knew that he didn't want the title at all; it just wasn't him.

There was something playing on Victoria's mind but she didn't want to offend anyone, however Diego saw the slight frown on her face and knew something was bothering her. "What is it Victoria?" he asked kindly.

She sighed. "We're a part of Mexico now and not Spain and therefore we are considered to be Mexican citizens. Why would the King of Spain give Diego this title if we are no longer under Spanish rule and is this something that he must accept or does he have a choice in it?"

Don Alejandro frowned. "The King doesn't give out these honours just for the sake of it Victoria." he said a little heatedly.

Diego frowned at his father's anger; not everyone had the same loyalty to the King that the older man did. "Father, I think they are good questions, even I would like to know the answers." he said, defending his wife.

Teo held up his hand once more to stop any heated discussions. "Actually they are legitimate questions Alejandro but you are also right. It is an honour that the King rarely gives and it's not to be dismissed lightly." He turned to Victoria and Diego. "Even though you are living here under Mexican rule, you are still considered to be Spanish with your strong ties back to the mother country and of course with Diego having been born in Madrid. Although it's rare for the King, of any reign, to give a title to someone in another country, it has been done before." He paused to consider his next words.

"Yes, you could decline it but you must think very hard and very long before making that decision because if you do, you will more than likely to offend the King and there would be any number of repercussions to your family, including any family members who are still living in Madrid; they could be snubbed or at least politely ignored by people in power and in social gatherings. You could lose the contract for your beef and horses, you may never be able to travel to Spain or her colonies again or any of hundred other things. I'm not saying that the King himself would do this but others may take offence on his behalf and act according to their own beliefs and then there will always be the jealous or spiteful people who will hate you just for being in favour with the King and would do or say anything to hurt you or your family, regardless of whether you accept the title or not. I just want you to understand the possible consequences of both accepting and declining the honour."

Diego nodded thoughtfully. "Of course Teo and I thank you for your candour. What would accepting it mean for us?" he asked.

"It would mean a permanent move back to Spain for you and Victoria and Felipe and you too Alejandro, if you so desired it." Teo confirmed.

Victoria exchanged a startled look with Diego. "Move permanently to Spain? But why? I mean I can understand that we would have to go to Spain for awhile but I thought we would be able to come back here to live."

"Of course you can return occasionally, to see to the ranch but you would be required to have your main residence in Spain. Oh don't worry, you won't be bored, you will have duties to attend to." he added with a smile.

Diego frowned; he wasn't sure if he liked that idea. As much as he enjoyed his time in Madrid for his studies and his holiday in France, he always knew that his home was here in Los Angeles, with his father and their ranch. And then there was Victoria; this was her home too, he couldn't just take her away from everything she has even known. "Is it something that can be changed Teo? I would prefer to make Los Angeles my main residence and go to Spain when necessary."

Teo sat back in his chair, steepled his fingers together and thought deeply for a moment. "That would be difficult Diego, I mean California is not exactly two or three days sail away from Spain. It just wouldn't be practical to keep travelling the long distance between here and Spain every year or even twice year."

Diego nodded. "I understand that but is it possible?"

Teo saw that the younger man wasn't giving up on the idea, although for the life of him he couldn't understand why he was so against living in Spain; he himself couldn't imagine living anywhere else. "It's not for me to say but it might be possible Diego but not straight away." he paused as he stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I shouldn't be telling you this but the King does have a special job for you to do which could take some time."

Don Alejandro exchanged a glance with Diego, who was equally curious "A job. What kind of job?" he asked, wondering what kind of task the King could give to his son.

Teo shook his head. "I'm sorry Alejandro, Diego but I can't go into any more details. I want you to decide this on its own merits and not because of what you may or may not do for the King."

Diego sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair. "How long do we have to decide?" he asked as he gazed at Victoria, not knowing what he wanted to do.

Teo shrugged. "We would have to be back in Spain by the end of September and allowing for the fix or six weeks sailing time and another week travelling by stage to Madrid, it leaves you with a couple of weeks to decide." He paused as he leant forward. "Take your time to decide this Diego, talk it over with each other. I'll be here for another two, three weeks at the most, to answer any questions and explain anything you don't understand before I need to get back to Spain, with or without you."

* * *

Later that night, Victoria sat in front their dressing table gazing down at the hair rush in her hand without really seeing it; she was still very much in shock from the news. Never in her wildest dreams, could she ever have imagine that she would one day become part of the Spanish Nobility; it was like one of those bedtime stories that her mother used to read to her when she was a child, the ones with heroic knights and beautiful maidens but that only happened in books and never in real life. Now she had to face the real possibility of it happening and she didn't know what to do or what to think.

Diego entered their room and smiled softly at the vision of his wife sitting at his dresser; it was a sight that he never thought he would ever see but he couldn't help notice that the slight frown on her face and all the news of the day came rushing back to him. He sighed as he closed the bedroom door. "I certainly wasn't expecting this when we returned from San Francisco." he said as he removed his jacket and placed over the armrest of a chair.

Victoria shook herself out of her thoughts and gave her husband a small smile. "Neither did I but I'm beginning to realise that our life together is not going to be dull." she teased him.

He chuckled as he sat on the bed. "I never believed it would be." he relied as he bent down and removed his shoes and socks.

She sighed. "What are you going to do?"

"You mean, what are WE going to do? We are in this together querida." He replied as he straightened up and he held out his hand.

She rose from her seat and crossed over to him and settled down onto his lap. "So what are WE going to do?" she asked as she placed her arm around his shoulders, while her other hand rested lightly on his chest.

He sighed. "It's a great honour..." he stopped, unsure of what he wanted to say.

She nudged him. "But...?"

He shook his head as he shifted to a move comfortable position and rested his hand on her nightgown clad thigh. "After all these years as Zorro, I just wanted some peace and quiet in my life, to marry the woman I love, to raise a family and to take over the ranch from father, to give him some peace of his own. But now..."

She nodded. "But now that peace and quiet will disappear if you accept this." She said understandingly. "I know you Diego, you may want peace and a quiet life but I also know that you have a somewhat...restless nature."

Diego frowned at that. "No, I don't..."

Victoria gently placed a finger against his lips. "You are the kind of person who needs to be doing something for others, you can't stand by and do nothing, which is why you became Zorro, to help others in need. Will you be satisfied with just running this ranch or will you be involved in the community as well?"

He took her fingers and laced them with his. "I can't run the ranch without being involved in the community." he said gently, not wanting to insult her intelligence.

She nodded. "I know that but not everyone has the same dedication that you and your father have to the community. There's our weekly paper that you still do and then there was the time that father stood in as Alcalde and signed off on the pueblo's irrigation system, not many others would have done that."

"Perhaps, perhaps not." He paused for a moment before he smiled. "You know, it sounds like you want me to take up the title of Marqués." he said with a teasing gleam in his blue eyes as his fingers gently stroked her thigh.

A hot tingle shot through her body at his touch. "Not at all, I'm only saying that you need something else in your life besides the ranch and even myself. I don't mean that in a terrible way, only that I think you would become bored if you didn't have something to fight against or to fight for...Oh I don't know if I'm making any sense."

Diego sighed. "You seem to understand me better than I do myself."

She smiled softly. "Don't forget that I've had several years watching you fight as both Diego and Zorro." She replied as she slipped a finger between the top two buttons of his shirt and gently teased his flesh.

He gave a low moan as his skin burned at her touch. "I still can't believe that you worked out my secret when I was away in France. I should have known with all the hints you gave me." he said as he moved his hand further up her leg, pushing her nightgown up as he went.

"Perhaps I should have just thrown myself at you, then I'm sure you would have got the message." she replied with a gleam in her own eyes as she managed to undo several buttons on his shirt but before she could do anything else, she let out a squeal as she suddenly found herself on the bed with Diego laying half across her, nuzzling her neck.

"Yes that definitely would have gained my attention, not to mention an immediate marriage the next morning." He whispered hotly in her ear before he claimed her lips in a long, sensuous kiss that made her forget everything about the Marqués, Zorro and holidays to France as they gave themselves over into the dance of lovers the world over.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Spanish Embassy, London, England.

Ignacio de Soto strode along the stone path that lead from the Embassy barracks to the large front gates; he was doing his morning rounds, ensuring all was well with his men and the surrounding area. When he had taken up his position a year ago, he was shocked to find the Spanish Embassy was less secured than he imagined; not that anyone expected trouble from the English but the Ambassador WAS the representative of King Ferdinand and the Spanish Government and to simply allow anyone to walk through the gates, be they English aristocrats or beggars, without being stopped and questioned about their reasons for being within the grounds, of what was generally considered to be Spanish land, was shocking to him.

So with the approval of the Ambassador himself, he implemented new security measures that included having two armed sentries at the front gates instead of the one guard that his predecessor had opted for.

He also increased the number of lancers from four to eight, who continually patrolled the grounds in pairs to prevent or at least apprehend any intruders looking to create some mischief by climbing over the walls and in the first month alone, his lancers had stopped several thieves and even on one occasion, they had apprehended a French spy, dressed in English clothes, who had scaled the rear wall, looking for information on the Ambassador himself. They had done this simply by increasing the number of patrols around the grounds and he also made the duty shifts as random as possible so no one could accurately work out their weaknesses.

The squad of Royal Lancers were not only there to protect the Ambassador and his family and staff members as well as their guests but now they were required to ascertain the reasons for anyone wishing to visit and anyone without a good explanation would not be allowed into the grounds. He asked for and was given a daily list of any guests who were expected during the day, to ensure a smooth entrance to the grounds without any need for any embarrassing questions or searches.

He knew that he was probably being overly cautious but the responsibility was his and his alone; he would not be accused of dereliction of duty.

Now as he approached the gates, the sentries snapped to attention while Lieutenant Ricardo Estrada saluted his commanding officer. "Buenos dias, Don Ignacio." he greeted him respectfully.

"Buenos dias Lieutenant. At ease gentlemen." he said as he noticed several young boys playing outside the gates. "Any problems that I should know about?"

Estrada shook his head. "No sir, nothing we can't handle." he replied as he kept a wary eye on the boys who had been tormenting his men in the way of boys the world over.

Ignacio hid his smile at the way Estrada watched the boys with a wariness that he knew only too well, for he had been one of those boys himself. He and his friends had made fun of soldiers, each trying to prove to the others how brave and tough they were until a rather surly sergeant caught him and gave him such a spanking that he was unable to sit down for a week and from that day he kept clear of any military barracks until he was seventeen and joined the military himself.

"Do you consider these boys to be a threat, Lieutenant Estrada?" He asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Estrada smiled. "No sir, they are just being a pest, this is the third morning they have come here and I fear what may happen if they keep at it."

Ignacio snorted. "To you or to them."

"Both sir."

Ignacio gazed once more at the boys. "Well, let me know if it becomes too much, I don't want it getting out of hand and creating an international incident." he ordered.

Estrada came to attention. "Yes sir."

Ignacio nodded. "Good. Well I'll leave you to these pests."

"Yes sir."

The sentries came once more to attention as Ignacio turned and strode towards the path that lead to the garden; not only was it the quickest way to the embassy offices but it was also the nicest with its rose bushes and other flowering plants that were in full bloom but his mind was not on the peaceful surroundings as he thought about his duties for the day. Although he was in charge of security, it wasn't his only duty; he was being trained as a diplomat and perhaps one day, he might even become an Ambassador himself but he knew that day was very much in the future for he had a lot to learn.

"Why, Don Ignacio, you shouldn't be hurrying on such a beautiful morning."

Ignacio instinctively tightened his hand on his sword hilt at the unexpected voice but relaxed when he realised it was only the daughter of the Ambassador and not some intruder; he really should stop being so paranoid, he mused to himself as he turned and saw Senorita Bernardita Cortez and her chaperone Señora Valdez sitting in the shade of an oak tree, slowly fanning their faces.

He bowed with a polite smile on his face. "Buenos dias ladies. Please forgive my bad manners." He had walked straight passed them without seeing them. "If I had known that two such lovely ladies were enjoying the morning air, I surely would have stopped and expressed my admiration for such a beautiful day." He complimented.

Senorita Bernardita giggled and looked coyly up at him from behind her fan. "You're forgiven Don Ignacio, this time." she replied while Señora Valdez just frowned at him.

Ignacio hid his amusement at the Señora's reaction; she seemed to have a permanent frown on her face which became even more pronounced whenever he talked to her charge. Not that he was interested in the nineteen year old Bernardita; she was just a child. Now if it was Señora Rosalinda Granado, it would be a different story.

"So what was the reason for your haste? Is it some secret mission for my father?" Bernardita asked as she fanned herself.

He shook his head. "No, nothing so exciting Senorita. I have a meeting with Don Marcos." he replied.

"Well surely papa wouldn't mind if you stay and entertained us..."

"Bernardita, Don Ignacio isn't here to entertain you, he has duties to perform, even on such a lovely day." came a stern but feminine voice behind him.

Ignacio turned and this time the smile on his face was genuine as he saw the widowed sister of the Ambassador approaching them. "Buenos dias Señora, it is a lovely morning isn't it?" he said as he bowed his head. Now this was a woman that made his heart pound, a woman who was never coy or act like a silly girl to gain a man's attention, he mused to himself. Señora Granado was a grown woman and for the first time in a long time, he felt a longing to have something more in his life than just duty.

Rosalinda smiled warmly. "Yes it is a wonderful morning, Don Ignacio, it reminds me of Madrid in Spring." she replied as she saw his admiration in his gaze and felt a surge of feminine pride that she could still be of interest to a man, a rather handsome man at that, she thought to herself. She had heard many rumours about Ignacio de Soto, of his arrogance, of his ruthlessness in the American colonies but since she had arrived six months ago, he had been nothing but a gentleman towards her and although he was a strict disciplinarian to the lancers under his command, he had gained their respect as well as the respect of her brother, the Ambassador and of course herself. In fact, he had gained more than her respect and it was something that she hadn't felt since her husband died three years ago.

Ignacio smiled back. "Yes it certainly does seem like a spring day in Madrid and its unfortunate that we don't have more temperate weather in London to enjoy walks in the garden."

Rosalinda nodded. "We just have to make the best of what we have, don't you agree Don Ignacio?"

Bernardita frowned not liking the way her Aunt was taking up Don Ignacio's attention, especially after she had told her that he wasn't there to entertain and yet she was doing the same thing but before she could say anything, Señora Valdaz stood up. "If you will excuse us Señora, Don Ignacio, we have a lot of preparations to arrange for the party tonight. Come Senorita." she stated politely but firmly. She had seen the look of annoyance on her young charge's face at having lost the attention of Don Ignacio and she thought it prudent to leave before inappropriate words were spoken.

Bernardita flicked an angry look at Señora Valdaz but the older lady didn't react. She held back a sigh as she too stood up. "Will we be seeing you at the party Don Ignacio?" she asked with a smile on her face; perhaps she might be able to speak with him alone during the dance. If she could just escape from Señora Valdaz, she mused to herself, then she would have his full attention.

Ignacio bowed his head. "Of course I will be there Senorita." he replied politely.

Señora Valdaz bustled her young charge away leaving Ignacio and Rosalinda alone in the garden.

Rosalinda sighed softly as they started walking in the direction of the offices. "Please forgive my niece, Don Ignacio but you can see why my brother has Señora Valdaz as her duenna. Bernardita can be a little presumptuous in her attitude and needs a strict hand."

He smiled. "There is nothing to forgive Señora Granado, she is young." he paused and gazed at the woman walking beside him. "Besides I can imagine that all young ladies test the resolve of their duennas at some time. Perhaps even yourself." He added with a teasing gleam in his blue eyes.

She chuckled. "Oh yes, you have no idea what I put mine through. She blamed me for giving her all her grey hair but looking back to that time, she was right to do what she did, after all she protected me from making a fool of myself, even though I hated every minute of it." She paused as she returned his gaze. "But now that I'm a widow, I can be as presumptuous as I like without getting into trouble from an overbearing chaperone and so, if I may be so bold Don Ignacio, to reserve a dance or two with you tonight, I would be most pleased. Perhaps even the last dance." she added daringly.

_My god, she IS interested in me_, he mused to himself. He wasn't sure before but as he held her gaze and felt his heart pounding in his chest, he knew that she was. He definitely liked her boldness in asking for a dance or two; in fact he like everything about her. "Not only will it will be an honour but it will also be my pleasure to have the last dance with you." he replied.

Rosalinda felt a surge of excitement at his acceptance; she hadn't felt this way since she was a young woman being asked for her very first dance. "It would be my pleasure too." she replied softly as they reached the entrance of the building and stopped at the bottom of the steps. "You know the de la Vegas don't you?" she asked.

Ignacio was startled by the sudden change in topics. "Do you mean Alejandro de la Vega and his son Diego, from California?" he paused as she nodded. "Yes I know them, why?" he asked curiously.

She smiled. "I've received a letter from my cousin in Madrid yesterday and it seems the King is going to bestow a high honour on Diego de la Vega. He is going to make him a Marqués."

He smiled warmly. "Ah at last. That's great news" he replied, pleased for his one time enemy.

It was Rosalinda's turn to look curious. "You know about that then."

He nodded. "I've known for some time. Do you know when the ceremony will be?"

"I believe it's at the end of September." she replied.

"Hmmm." Ignacio stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I wouldn't mind seeing them again." he said.

Rosalinda smiled. "I'm sure my brother won't mind you taking some leave, why don't you ask him."

He smiled as they walked up the steps and into the building. "I might just do that." He replied as he took a risk and reached out for her hand. "As much as I would like to stay and continue our conversation, I must bid you farewell until this evening." he said before he planted a soft kiss to her hand, his blue eyes never leaving her grey ones.

She felt a flush of excitement rise over her neck at his gallantry. "I understand, until later Don Ignacio."

Ignacio bowed his head before he turned and walked towards the flight of stairs that went up to the first floor offices. There was a spring in his step as he thought about Señora Granado and wondered how far a relationship with her could go, perhaps even to a courtship and beyond. He shook his head in amazement, he couldn't believe that he was thinking about courting a lady; it was a strange but rather exciting concept.

* * *

Spain.

Vargas spent two weeks in Madrid finalising several business deals; both legal and otherwise before he informed his housekeeper and his acquaintances that he was going on a business trip and that he would return within five or six weeks. The stranger had given him plenty of time to reach his destination and if by any chance that his target hadn't arrived by the third week of September, he was to return back to Madrid and wait for further instructions.

He began his journey south from Madrid, after having decided that the best option was to travel by horse and not by stage coach; he needed the time and opportunity to search for the best locations to arrange the accident that the stranger had wanted and he couldn't do that while sitting inside a stage coach. He also needed his horse in case he had to flee from the authorities in a hurry and to get to one of many safe places that he knew.

He was curious to know how the stranger came to believe that Cadiz would be place where he would wait; there several other ports including Barcelona and even Valencia that he could travel to but in the end, he was being paid to do a job and he would do it, even if it that meant waiting for someone who may or may not arrive. It was the stranger's money, not his and in the meantime he would enjoy the sights of Cadiz and perhaps arrange a business deal or two.

* * *

**A/N**. I have made de Soto a more mature man, a man more comfortable with himself; considering that this is about 18 months or so after the death of Risendo. He's already gone through the period of retrospection of his past behaviour and now he has come out the other end a better man.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Los Angeles.

In the two weeks since Teo told them the stunning news, the four de le Vegas had talked endlessly, both with each other and with Teo, about the honour that was being bestowed upon their family. Don Alejandro had been predictable in his discussions, with his strong support of the Spanish throne and had told Diego that it was an honour that he should not decline but it was his decision to make and he would support his son no matter what he decided.

It was much harder for both Victoria and Felipe to come to terms of the offer and what it meant to them as a family.

For Felipe, he had the same concerns as when Diego had first mentioned that he wanted to adopt him; inheritance. They had previously discussed and agreed upon a number of issues including that he would only inherit the ranch if there were no other sons to take over from Diego but now that would all change. They discussed it at length with Teo, who again re-assured Felipe that as the elder son, he did not automatically acquire the title upon the death of Diego and he even told them that if no-one claimed the title within forty years, it becomes null and void.

However Felipe also saw it as an opportunity to study law at the same university that his father went to. He knew that Diego would send him to Madrid if that was what he wanted but he wasn't as adventurous as the older man had been. He needed the support of his family close by him and when he was gently questioned by his father for this belief, he admitted that his lack of confidence on being on his own was due to his inability to speak; he was accepted here in Los Angeles, everyone knew him and he knew them and even though he would have studied law with their own lawyers in Santa Barbara, he was only several days journey away from home in case anything went wrong or if he just feeling lonely and isolated.

Diego had been startled by this discovery; he didn't realise that his son's lack of speech had affected him in this way and he felt a surge of guilt that he hadn't really thought that deeply about it and he promised Felipe that from now on, they would restart the daily regimen that they had began awhile ago but due to many different reasons, his good intentions to have Felipe speak again had disappeared out the window. Felipe had done it once to save his life, so it was highly probably that he could re-learn to use his voice if they just put in the time and effort.

Victoria had many concerns about becoming a Marquesa. She knew that people would treat her differently than Diego, especially by the other women, simply because she wasn't one of them; one of the upper class. Even though Los Angeles was far away from the strict class structure in Europe, she had still seen a number of the local caballero wives who had looked down at everyone who wasn't part of their class. She hated that kind of snobbery, especially in a harsh place that their district could be, where everyone helped their neighbours regardless of their background.

She was also worried about her lack of education. It had nothing to do with reading and writing; which she did exceedingly well but she knew nothing of the finer points of society like the arts and music, history, politics or even fashion. Diego already knew about some of them, having been raised in more genteel surroundings than the noisy and sometimes violent tavern that she had been raised in; although her parents protected them from the worst of it. She was also worried about what the position of Marquesa actually meant for her; would she have duties to perform and if so what would they be? How was she to conduct herself? Where would they live?

These were also questions that Diego wanted to know as well including the task that the King wanted him to do; he doubted it would be anything to do with the military as he had never served in either the Army or the Navy and he also doubted it would be any kind of political appointment for again he had no experience in such matters but he would not make his decision based on what this task may or may not entail.

They were both surprised when Teo informed that they would have a luxurious villa in Madrid along with a number of servants to run the household and an aide de camp to help Diego with his duties, while the King had not yet decided on whether he would give them part of the original estate of the last Marqués from two hundred years ago; it was in a very bad state and most of the lands had been sold off long ago to pay for the debt the family had incurred. If they decided to accept the position, Teo had offered to guide them both in the ways of the nobility before they reached Madrid and other than what the King wanted Diego to do, he advised them that their duties would be up to them to work through.

So after much discussion for and against, Diego had agreed to become the Marqués of Villafranca.

But now the de la Vega hacienda was in chaos; there was so much to do, so much to organise before they all left for Spain. Don Alejandro needed to find a reliable manager for the ranch; not that he didn't trust their head vaquero, he did but since he was planning to be away for five, perhaps six months, he needed to ensure that his interests were protected. He knew that this would be the very last time that he would travel to Spain and he would use this opportunity to see the remaining members of his family as well as his old friends before he returned to Los Angeles and live out the remaining years of his life there; he planned to be buried beside his wife and children.

While Diego and Victoria also wanted someone to oversee the tavern in case there was something that Mendoza couldn't handle or needed a major decision to be made. They talked it over with one of Don Alejandro's oldest friends, Don Roberto and he agreed to look after both the ranch and tavern while they were away.

Not that Don Roberto was going to refuse to help his friends especially when the reason became clear to everyone. The people of Los Angeles were flabbergasted at the news; some were proud that one of their own was to become part of the Spanish Nobility, while others muttered under their breath about the wealthy always sticking together and that the Spanish had no rights in California anymore.

Whenever the de la Vegas came into the pueblo, they couldn't help but notice the change in their friend's attitude and at first it was annoying that everyone would stopped whatever they were doing and just stared at them, to have all conversations cease whenever they walked by and they knew they were the subject of their chatter but there was nothing they could do about it except to try and ignore it as best as they could.

* * *

The Port of San Pedro.

Victoria gazed at the ship that was to take them to Spain. "Its big." she remarked as she stood on the busy docks. The _Isabella_ was an eighty foot fully rigged ship with three large masts placed evenly from bow to stern; which she would later learn to be the foremast, the mainmast and the mizzenmast along with the jib-boom at the bow.

Diego chuckled. "Just wait until you spend the next month and half on her, then you won't think her so big." he replied as he watched a number of sailors climb the rigging to unfurl the sails in preparation to leave with the outgoing tide, while others lowered cargo down in the depths of the ship.

Don Alejandro chuckled as he glanced at Teo. "I guess it's too small for you Teo." he teased.

"I'll have you know that I am a rather good sailor." he growled. He wasn't looking forward to going around Cape Horn again, it had been a terrible time fighting against the strong winds and he had spend much of the time on his bunk, trying hard to ignore his seasickness.

Felipe wasn't listening to the conversation around him; his attention was focused on the _Isabella._ Ever since Diego had first brought him to San Pedro when he was ten, he had been impressed by the fearlessness and the agility of the sailors as they climbed up and down the tall masts and he always wondered what the view would be like from the top.

"When do we go aboard?" Victoria asked curiously.

"It shouldn't be too long." Don Alejandro replied as he looked around. "They usually make sure that most of the cargo is on board before letting any passengers on. Ahh, here we go." he added as he saw one of the ship's officers walking in their direction.

"Good afternoon Señora, Señores, my name is Jose Hortes and I'm the second officer of the _Isabella_. I'm sorry for the wait but you are free to embark now." He smiled politely at the family who was sailing all the way to Spain with them.

Don Alejandro smiled back. "Gracias Señor Hortes." he replied as they began walking in the direction of the gangway. "Have our cabins been arranged?"

Hortes nodded. "Yes, all your cabins are ready and I believe that your trunks are already inside. If you see Gonzales at the top of the gangway, he will show you to your assigned cabins."

"Muchas gracias."

The de la Vegas and Teo walked carefully up the wooden gangway and were greeted by a rough looking character, whose weather beaten face made him appear ten years older than he actually was.

"Buenos dias Señora, Señores. If you will follow me, I'll show you to your cabins. " Gonzales said with a pleasant smile.

"Gracias." Don Alejandro replied as they followed him to a large hatchway and down the steep steps leading to the deck that held the passenger cabins.

Victoria frowned as she saw the narrow steps and had to lift her skirts so it wouldn't catch on the rough wood before she carefully made her way down. The first thing that struck her when she reached the bottom was the smell; it was a combination of salt, damp wood, a mustiness due to a lack of good ventilation, stale smoke and something else that she didn't want to think to much about. The second thing was the darkness but as her eyes adjusted, she realised that there were several burning lanterns lining the walls which cast an eerie glow over the dark wood.

"Are you okay?" Diego asked softly, knowing that this was the first time that she had set foot on a ship and that she was somewhat anxious about it.

She smiled. "I'm okay, now that I can see."

He smiled re-assuringly. "Yes it can be rather disorientating coming from the light into semi darkness." he replied as they walked down the narrow corridor where the others were waiting.

"These are your cabins, numbers four to seven, with Doña and Don Diego de la Vega in number four, Don Alejandro de la Vega you have cabin five, Don Felipe de la Vega cabin six and Don Cervantes you have cabin seven. The doors only lock from the inside so I would suggest you keep any valuables with you." Gonzales advised them. "The passenger's sala is further down the corridor, where you can sit during the day and it is also where all meals will be served. We'll be making way within the hour and you're free to come on deck during that time and if you have any questions during the voyage, my cabin is at the far end and if I'm not there, I'll be on duty."

Diego smiled. "Gracias Señor."

Gonzales smiled before he turned and left them.

"Shall we settle in before we go back on deck to watch the crew weigh anchor and set sail." Don Alejandro grinned as he laid his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who is amazed by how easy the sailors make it look."

Felipe grinned at his grandfather and signed.

Diego smiled and shook his head. "No, I don't think the Captain would allow you to climb the ropes, it's rather dangerous."

"And how would you know that Diego?" Teo teased.

Diego cleared his throat. "Ummm well, it...just looks dangerous." he muttered as he fumbled with the door handle. He had no intention of telling his father and especially not Felipe, of what had happened when he first sailed to Spain when he was about Felipe's age and how he had almost slipped to his death while climbing up the rigging at the friendly urging of the crew. Or perhaps he should, as a warning to the younger man.

Don Alejandro chuckled and shook his head as he opened the door to his cabin. "Yes, it certainly looks dangerous, doesn't it son?" he replied. He had a strong suspicion of what his son may have done, after all he himself had done any number of foolish things as a youth when he had been away from home; although climbing the rigging of a ship had not been one of them. "Perhaps not as dangerous as riding that black stallion of yours."

Diego choked as he finally opened the door; so his father had guessed about his youthful misdeeds but he couldn't believe that his father would talk about his favourite horse, whom he had put out to pasture with the mares months ago. In the semi-darkness he saw Felipe's and Victoria's grins but Teo looked confused; he did not know the secret and he wanted it kept that way.

"Until later then." He replied as he hurriedly ushered his wife inside the cabin before his father could say anything else.

"Diego..!" Victoria was a little surprised and somewhat amused that he all but pushed her into their cabin and closed the door behind them.

"Sorry but father was a little too free with his words even if it was only a vague reference to Toronado. Even though Zorro is 'dead', we still need to keep the identity a secret and even though I trust Teo, I just prefer to keep the knowledge to us." he replied quietly, seriously.

She nodded. "I understand." she replied as she looked around the small semi-dark cabin; it was smaller than her old bedroom at the tavern. The bed was narrow and attached to the wall with a coarse blanket covering it and she wondered if it could hold both of them but she assumed it could otherwise the cabin wouldn't be assigned to them. Above the bed there was an small open port hole that was allowing some fresh air inside and she noticed that it could be closed by a strong wooden hatch cover and in the corner was a there small table that was bolted to the floor and a single chair. Their trunks took up another corner and there was a lantern hanging from the ceiling.

"I know it's small but it's only for sleeping in." He said somewhat apologetically as he gazed around.

"It's alright, I wasn't expecting a grand room." she replied as she finished looking around their cabin and faced him with a warm smile. "Is this going to be Zorro's latest adventure?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, it's going to be Diego's and Victoria's latest adventure." he replied.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Madrid, Spain.

Ignacio de Soto let out a sigh of relief as the stage coach pulled up at the main stop in the centre of the city. He had made the mistake of travelling overland through France and the only thing that kept him from going insane from boredom was the memory of Señora Rosalinda Granado and of the party a month ago. They had a number of dances together, including the promised last dance of the evening and of the stolen kiss he had boldly taken in the rose garden where they had taken a walk in the cool evening air. Their kiss, though brief and somewhat chaste, was like no other for it seemed to both of them, that it was a promise for the future and not just from the excitement of the evening.

Although he was not inexperienced with women, he had never felt the way he did before he met Rosalinda and he came to the astonishing belief that he, Ignacio de Soto, had fallen in love for the first time at the age of forty. Once that realisation struck him, he couldn't keep the smile off his face; he grinned like a schoolboy, especially when he knew that Rosalinda returned his feelings and he decided that once he returned to England, he would formally ask permission to court her.

But now as he stepped down from the stage, he gazed around at the city he loved with its all noises, its unique smells and the grand buildings, he knew he was home. He grabbed his bags and made his way down the street to the well furnished, well respected and somewhat exclusive boarding house near the centre of the city; he had leased out his own private residence when he left to take up his posting in England and the lease still had six months to go before he could reclaim his property.

After he had settled into his suite of rooms, he made his way to the Foreign Office to hand over several but relatively unimportant dispatches that the Ambassador had given to him and on the way, he greeted a number of acquaintances and accepted offers of lunches and dinners. Once his official duties were over, he was free to do as he wished for the reminder of his time in Madrid, including seeing his one time enemy become a member of the nobility; he had no doubts that Diego de la Vega would accept just as he would accept the honour himself.

He went for a walk to reacquaint himself with his beloved city and after having lunch with friends, he returned to his quarters feeling sated with good food, good wine and even better company but as he opened the door to his rooms, his feeling of euphoria evaporated when he saw a folded piece of paper on the floor.

"What's this?" he muttered as he bent down and picked it up and read the words:

_de Soto, I have some information that you might be interested in. Meet me at the north end of the Segovia Bridge, 6pm today._

It was not signed and as he moved further into his room, he read and then re-read the note and for a long time he just stared at the piece of paper. He had a very good idea of who had written it but not the reason, however his curiosity was aroused and he decided that he would go to the bridge and find out what this person wanted.

But first he had to send a message to the Garcias and give his apologies; he won't be able to make it for dinner after all.

* * *

He arrived at stunning granite bridge with its nine arches that crossed the Manzanares River just before 6pm; he had hired a carriage from outside his accommodation for he had no time to walk if he wanted to make the meeting in time. He paid off the driver and walked towards the benches that lined the walkway alongside the river and he opted for a bench that was in the shade of a large tree and he sat down to wait.

It wasn't long before he felt a presence behind him.

"Buenas noches de Soto."

Ignacio turned slightly as a somewhat dishevelled looking gentleman sat down beside him. "Buenas noches, Armas. I thought I recognised your, shall we say, dramatic flair for writing."

Armas chuckled as he gazed at the river. "There's nothing like a good mystery that brings out the curiosity in people."

"Yes, that's very true Armas." He gazed at the man who had helped him in the past, with many things. "So what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Armas smiled "Ah that's you de Soto, straight to the point as always. As you know there isn't much that happens in this city that I don't know about." he paused as Ignacio nodded. "Well, I have some shall we say rather interesting information that you might like to have."

Ignacio gave a wry smile. "Just like old times."

Armas grinned. "Yes, just like old times where we had both mutual benefits in aiding each other, when necessary of course."

Ignacio turned his attention to the river as he thought about the offer and wondered if it was wise to go back to his old ways of dealing with the less reputable sections of the community in order pursue his own interests. He had an important job with the Embassy which he had no desire to jeopardise over inappropriate or even criminal conduct but at the same time Armas would not come to him if the information he had wasn't important.

"Very well Armas, once more for old times' sake. What do you have?" he asked.

Armas reached into his jacket and pulled out some papers and handed it over to Ignacio.

Ignacio took the papers and read it with a frown. "Madre de dios." he muttered as he read it again. "How accurate is this information?" He forced his voice to sound normal even though he was shocked beyond words.

"I have no reason to disbelieve it. My source has always been correct."

Ignacio took a deep breath as he folded the papers. "Thank you for this Armas, I will see to it and of course you will let me know how I can repay you." he added wryly as he stood up.

Armas chuckled. "That goes without saying."

Ignacio shook his head. "Of course. Adios Armas." he replied as he turned and walked away.

"Adios de Soto."

Ignacio decided to walk back to his quarters; he was in no mood to take a carriage and he needed the time to think. He was stunned and angry by what Armas had given him and he knew that he would have to do something about this man Vargas; he just couldn't stand by and do nothing while his friends were in danger, especially when he himself was involved; albeit indirectly.

* * *

**A/N** - I know this is a rather short chapter but I promise to make it up to you in the next one :)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The journey was coming to an end for the de la Vegas and Teo Cervántez as the _Isabella_ slowly sailed into the Gulf of Cadiz. The voyage down the west coast of South America had been relatively calm but once they began to make their way around Cape Horn, it seemed as though they had entered the gates of hell, albeit a cold, windy and wet hell.

Only the sailors ventured on heaving deck while the passengers lay moaning in their bunks, praying for an end to the gut wrenching, stomach turning motion of the ship as it crested huge waves and slammed down into the troughs so hard it was as though they were ramming into a brick wall, and with the wind roaring across the deck along with the occasional rain storm, it made life wet and miserable for everyone. Teo was thoroughly sick as was Victoria while Diego fought hard against his own nausea to care for his wife and even Felipe, who had up to this time, been sure-footed and at home at sea, was feeling the effects of the bucking ship and stayed in his darken cabin. The only person who wasn't badly affected was Don Alejandro and he became the unofficial nursemaid for his family and his friend.

But they eventually made their way around the bottom of South America and sailed north up through the Atlantic Ocean, grateful that the worst was behind them.

Victoria was pleasantly surprised to find that the voyage wasn't as boring as she had imagined. In the beginning it had been the excitement of being at sea for the first time, of seeing the sun rise and set over the glistening sapphire water, of the wonderment of watching the nimble sailors in the rigging as they furled and unfurled the large canvas sails and even eating the highly salted meat was an experience for her, after all she had always cooked with fresh products. She chatted with the other passengers; an older lady and her husband travelling to Spain for the marriage of their eldest son, a former soldier on his way home and several young men who were to begin their university studies in Madrid just as Diego had done all those years ago.

Then there were the lessons that Teo gave about the courtesy and manners of high society. He went through what was expected from them as Marqués and Marquesa and how to behave when meeting the King and Queen. He explained the hierarchy of the Spanish Royalty and the various levels of the Nobility and he informed them that they would be formally addressed as Most Illustrious Lord and Most Illustrious Lady_, _which caused a great deal of teasing from Felipe as he bowed each time he saw them.

Teo brought them up to date on the current political situation after the return of King Ferdinand from his exile in France in 1814 and of how the country was politically divided into factions that were for and against the absolute rule of the Spanish throne, of how the King had originally agreed to uphold the newly written constitution of 1812, in order to regain his throne but once he had become King again, he had thrown out this fledgling constitution and even since then his hold on power had been precarious at best until he was forced by an uprising to restore the constitution once again.

Even Don Alejandro had been surprised by this news of the current unrest in Spain and although his loyalty to the King was true, it wasn't blind to the faults of the man himself and he was worried what the future might bring.

When they weren't involved in their lessons, Diego and Felipe would practice their fencing on the swaying deck and they had even entered into a friendly competition with the young men to see who was the best swordsman on the ship, with the off duty crew urging them with good natured banter. It came as no real surprise to Victoria when Diego emerged the victor; although Felipe did give his adopted father a run for his money. He had learnt well and at several times the younger man almost defeated him but Diego was a little bit faster, a little surer and had overcome his son's strong attacks.

Victoria's heart had swelled with love for Diego as she watched him enjoying himself immensely. It wasn't often that she saw him fence just for the fun of it. He wore that cheeky and very familiar grin on his face, his blue eyes flashed with merriment as he fought with the others and with that lock of hair that kept falling over his forehead gave him the appearance of a roguish pirate as he moved around the deck with such ease and balance that it made the sailors look awkward in comparison.

But now as the _Isabella_ was tied off at the docks, Victoria gazed around at the bustling port city of Cadiz in amazement. The sights, sounds and smells attacked her senses and she felt as though she had landed on another world, so much was her astonishment at the place. "Its beautiful." she muttered as she tried to take it all in.

"Si." A soft male voice came from beside her which caused her to turn and face Felipe with a beaming smile at hearing his voice for only the second time. The first had been the night before when Diego had casually asked his son if he wanted some more water with their meal and to the astonishment of everyone, Felipe had replied with a rather shy, "Si."

They had all gaped at him before Victoria and Don Alejandro pulled him into a fierce embrace while Diego looked on with fatherly pride, pleased with their little surprise they had planned earlier that day.

Felipe felt a rush of pure happiness at hearing his own voice; it was something that he never thought to hear again, not since that day he save Zorro's life. His father had kept his promise and every day during their six week voyage the two of them found a quiet place for him to practice speaking. They had started with simple sounds and words and at first he had found it very frustrating that he couldn't even make the simplest noise but it was during one of their friendly fencing bouts when Diego had uncharacteristically stumbled and almost landed in the water barrel.

The sight of his father, with his arms flaying about in an effort to stop himself from falling, made him laugh aloud. It couldn't be called a real laugh but more like a guttural wheezing sound as the air rushed out of his lungs through his unused vocal cords but this strange sound made him even more determined to speak and together with his father, he kept on trying. So far he had only been able to say the one simple word but it was a start.

"Yes, it's a beautiful city." Teo's voice came from behind them as he gazed at the city where he was born.

Victoria turned and frowned slightly. "Are you sure your sister won't mind us staying with her for a couple of days?" she asked concernedly.

Teo smiled. "Of course not Victoria. Besides she would love to see Alejandro again." he added as his old friend joined them with Diego grinning as he heard that last comment.

"Really father, I didn't know you had left a trail of broken hearts when you left Spain." he teased his father.

Don Alejandro chuckled and shook his head. "That's great coming from someone who never told me, until years later, that you had been engaged to a young woman while here in Spain."

Diego ducked his head. "Touché father." he smiled somewhat embarrassed; he never told his father about Zafira until after she and her husband had left when he had been shot by the lancers. He never knew why he never told him, perhaps he didn't want to admit that he had made a mistake, that he was capable of making mistakes, especially since his father didn't have a good opinion of him at that time and didn't want to add yet another example of his so called incompetence to his father.

"Well I'll go and arrange a carriage for us while our belongings are brought up." Teo said. He was eager to get on his way and although he loved his sister dearly, he longed to reach Madrid and home to his wife; he had missed her over the last three months.

"Of course Teo." Don Alejandro replied as his friend walked towards the gangway and down the ramp to arrange a carriage for all of them, just as the sailors carried their belongings up from below.

Diego flicked a glance at Victoria before he turned to his father. "Father, Victoria and I have been talking about who I should have as aide de camp and we thought to offer it to Teo. He is very knowledgeable and from what you have told me, he is very well respected by everyone and considering that he was bearer of the news from the King, it shows how important he is."

Don Alejandro nodded thoughtfully. "You know I think he would make a perfect aide for you. I mean you already know him and he knows you; you wouldn't want some stranger coming in, especially when you are going into a situation that you know nothing about. He is well respected for his moderate political views and he has done many good things in the past. Yes, I think he would be perfect for the position."

Diego nodded with a smile. "We think so to but would he accept it?"

Don Alejandro shrugged. "It's something for you to work out with him...Ahh, Teo's found a carriage. Shall we go?" he said as he noticed his friend raised his hand in their direction to gain their attention.

The four of them made their way to the gangway and when Diego reached the bottom, he was jostled by a man who was carrying a basket of fish.

"My apologies Señor, I didn't see you." the fisherman said.

"That's okay Señor, I didn't see you either." he replied politely even though he felt the hairs on the back on his neck rise up as he looked at the man. There was something about his black eyes, as well as the heavy scar on his face, that made him instantly wary of the stranger; many years fighting as Zorro had developed his sixth sense to the point of instinctively knowing the troublemakers when he saw them. And that man was trouble, he was sure of it.

Diego continued on his way but when he reached the carriage, he turned and looked back but couldn't see the man anywhere. He doubted their paths would ever cross again so he put him out of his mind and climbed into the carriage for the journey to Teo's sister's home.

* * *

Vargas had left the basket of fish on the docks before he moved towards the shelter of a doorway of a nearby tavern and watched the carriage pull away from the docks with a frown on his scarred face; he had made his first and only contact with de la Vega to ensure that he had the right target but what he had not been expecting was for him to be travelling with his whole family. It was easy enough to arrange an _accident_ for one person or even two but to arrange an accident for four or five people including a woman was going to be difficult, although not totally impossible but it would raise many questions amongst the local authorities and those questions could well come back to him.

He knew of a number of ways to eliminate them but he would bide his time and wait for the most appropriate time and place; as long as it was done before the family arrived in Madrid to ensure that he received the second promised payment. He thought about asking for more money, for even he had principles when it came to killing women but he remembered the icy tone of the stranger and he doubted that he would be agreeable to further payments.

Vargas stepped away from the doorway, ignoring the calls of the scanty clad women on the first floor balcony above and strode the rear of the building where he had left his horse. He mounted and then he discreetly followed the carriage towards the most respectable part of the town.

* * *

They arrived at Teo's sister's house ten minutes after they had left the docks and as Victoria walked up the pathway to the front door, she grabbed at her father-in-law's arm and stopped walking which made him stop as well.

"Is anything wrong?" Don Alejandro asked curiously.

"Did the ground just move?" she asked.

Don Alejandro cocked his head. "No, why?" he asked as they began to walk on.

She frowned slightly as she gripped his arm again. "I can't seem to walk straight." she said as she swayed on her feet.

Don Alejandro chuckled as he realised what was happening. "My dear, you just haven't got your land legs back yet." he replied.

"Land legs?"

He patted her hand as he guided her along the path. "Remember how it took you a couple of days to get your sea legs as you became used to the swaying motion of the ship, well now it's going to take a day or so to readjust to walking without having the ground moving beneath you. See even Diego and Felipe are having trouble." he said with amusement in his voice as he gestured to his son and grandson who were walking unevenly ahead of them.

Victoria chuckled as she swayed again. "It feels like I've drunk too much wine and I'm unable to walk in a straight line."

Don Alejandro grinned. "Yes it's a bit like that but without the horrible after effects of drinking." he replied as they walked up the steps and entered the large white house.

"Teo! You're back." A woman's voice called out from the first floor of her home.

Teo grinned at his youngest sister as she walked briskly down the wide stairs. "Celia." he greeted as he pulled her into a fierce embrace. "Yes, I'm back and I've brought friends." he added when they separated. "I think you remember Alejandro de la Vega."

Celia smiled warmly. "Of course I do. It's good to see you again Alejandro."

Don Alejandro beamed as he reached for her hand and planted a soft kiss. "It's good to see you again Celia, it's been a long time. I believe you know Diego?"

She nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's good to see you once more Diego." she said as she turned her attention to the handsome young man.

Diego smiled. "It's wonderful to see you too. Please let me introduce you to my wife Victoria and my son Felipe."

Celia smiled warmly at the beautiful young woman and the younger man standing beside her. "Welcome to Spain, Victoria, Felipe, I'm pleased to meet you both."

Victoria smiled back. "Gracias. I hope we haven't put you out by staying here with you."

"Of course not, my husband is away at the moment and my adult children are married with lives of their own so I welcome your company, even if it's only for a couple of days. Teo, can you show them into the sala while I'll get the rooms sorted out." Celia said as she walked towards the rear of her home to have her servants fix up several more rooms.

Teo smiled. "Of course. Come this way, my brother-in-law keeps a well stocked wine cabinet."

Don Alejandro chuckled. "He doesn't mind if you raid his cabinet?" he asked as they followed him across the wide hallway.

Teo laughed. "Considering that he raids my cabinet whenever he comes to Madrid, then no he doesn't mind at all." he replied as he stepped back to allow his friends to enter first.

"What a beautiful room." Victoria said as she looked around the spacious sala, with its comfortable looking chairs and a small round table which could convert into a chess or card table. There was a tall bookshelf with many books and beside it was a long side table which held several decanters of wine and glasses and at the far end of the room was large french doors that opened to allow in nature light and air.

"Thank you Victoria, I really like this room myself and I tend to spend a lot of time here." Celia said with a smile as she entered the sala. "When I have a small party of guests, I have our servants bring in a larger table and chairs so we can eat our meals in here. The light is better here than the formal dining room." she added.

Victoria smiled. "Yes, I can see why you like this room." she replied as she watched the men walk over to the side table and pour themselves a drink.

Celia nodded. "I hope you don't mind me being a little presumptuous but I'm having a warm bath prepared for you. I've only travelled once to England and back by ship but I was glad to wash away all that salt so I can't even imagine travelling all that way from the Americas without having a proper bath. I'm also arranging for the men to bathe as well, I'm sure they would want to clean up too.

Victoria beamed. "Of course I don't mind. I've been longing to relax in a warm bath and wash my hair even since that first week on board the ship. Umm Celia, can I trouble you to get our clothes washed too, I mean almost six weeks on board ship in a trunk with no fresh air... "

Celia smiled re-assuringly as she patted the younger woman's arm. "It's no trouble at all, just leave out whatever clothes you want washed and I'll have Suzanne get it done for you."

* * *

**A/N** - I've done some historical research for this chapter and the coming ones - there were major upheavals in the political sphere across all of Europe at that time but I don't want to delve too deeply into the politics so I am trying to fit my story around it as best that I can. Its not going to be truly accurate but this is fanfic and not an essay - if it was, I'll probably get a big red "F" for failure for stretching the truth :)

And if you're wondering about the "land legs" it does feel weird trying to walk on firm ground after being at sea for awhile. For me, it took a couple of days before I could walk without swaying slightly and no, I hadn't had anything to drink either :)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N** - Many thanks to my loyal readers and reviewers, it's good to know that you're enjoying the story. And to the guest reviewer Suzanne, you made me laugh with your reviews of being "honoured" to be in charge of the household servants in the previous chapter :)

* * *

Chapter 8

They stayed with Celia for four days in which time they had all regained their land legs and were no longer swaying with each step they took.

Victoria went shopping to buy more fashionable clothing for she had no time to buy anything before they left Los Angeles and she asked Celia for the name of a reputable dressmaker and the older lady gave her the name of her own seamstress. The two women visited Señora Beltrán and Victoria had been pleased to discover that the dressmaker already had several outfits made and it only taken some small alterations for the clothing to fit her. At first she was worried by the amount of money she was spending but both Diego and Don Alejandro re-assured her that she need not worry and for her to order what she needed, so she bought three outfits and a number of extra blouses to keep her well dressed until they reached Madrid where she would get a complete wardrobe made for her.

Victoria wasn't the only one to buy new clothes, the three de la Vega men also bought new suits which had more ornate stitching down the length of the trousers and on the cuffs of the jackets but the white shirts were not as ruffled as they were five years ago; which Felipe was most grateful for, he hated frills and didn't like to wear it.

The only thing that caused some concern was Diego's strange feeling that they were being followed. He couldn't explain it and although he casually scanned the crowds for trouble but he never saw anything out of the ordinary; at least nothing that could explain his feeling of anxiety. His father had told him that it was because he wasn't used to such large crowds, after all Cadiz was a large city with thousands of people but Diego just couldn't dismiss his feelings so lightly and he continued to keep a wary eye on everything and stayed close to his wife and son.

Vargas was always very careful in his surveillance but this time he kept well away from the de la Vegas as they went about their shopping for he noticed just how wary de la Vega was. It seemed as though the other man knew he was being followed; he kept casting his gaze in wide sweeps around him, searching for some unknown threat in the crowds and unconsciously flexed and unflexed his fingers on his right hand.

He instinctively knew that this man was dangerous in his own right and that he would have to be even more cautious if he was to be successful in his task. He watched as they arranged their transport to Madrid and once he found out which route they were travelling, he made his way back to his lodgings, paid his account and left Cadiz on his horse; he needed the time to put his plans into action.

* * *

They said their goodbyes to Celia and boarded their coach for their final journey to Madrid and as there were five of them, there was only room for one more person but thankfully they had the coach to themselves.

"So, our first stop is Seville, correct?" Victoria asked as the coach reached the outskirts of Cadiz and she gazed out the window watching the scenery go by.

Teo nodded. "Yes, our route will take us to Seville then to Cordoba and through Sierra Moreno to Ciudad Real, Toledo and finally Madrid. All up it will take us about six days."

"Six days!" She shook her head. "It seems we have been travelling forever.

Teo chuckled. "Yes, it certainly does." he replied.

Felipe was looking at the other window in awe at how big the city had been and how narrow the dirt road had become. He signed it to his father.

Diego grinned. "Just wait until we reach Despeñaperros Pass and then you'll see just how narrow the road becomes and any slip could see us going over the edge."

Don Alejandro chuckled at the wide eyed look on his grandson's face. "Not only do we have to worry about falling over the edge of the ravine but it's also known for the wild bandits who prey on travellers."

Victoria frowned slightly. "Bandits?"

Teo chuckled. "Ignore them Victoria, it's not as bad as Alejandro makes out. The government has cracked down in that area recently with more lancers patrolling the area. It's no more, no less dangerous than anywhere else."

* * *

Vargas sat on his horse in the shadows of a grove of trees on a small rocky hill and watched detachedly as the stagecoach carrying the de la Vegas rumbled along the main road between Cadiz and Seville. As the stage came over a small crest, four masked bandits rush out from behind some rocks, yelling and firing their pistols in the air, startling the driver and the horses. The driver made to whip his horses into a more urgent pace when one of the bandits shot him and he collapsed in his seat.

He watched as another of the bandits jumped onto the back of the racing horses and pulled on the reins to bring the stage coach to a halt and before he knew it, the doors of the coach flung open and out burst the de la Vega men with swords in their hands and he was stunned as two of the men; Diego and the younger man, immediately set about dismounting and disarming the bandits so rapidly that it spoke of great skill that he hadn't seen for many, many years. He had known that de la Vega was dangerous and now he knew that the man was not only a skilled swordsman but he fought as though he was a common street fighter; he didn't fight like a gentleman at all.

He also knew that this plan had failed but there was one more sure way of completing his task to the satisfaction of his employer.

Diego gazed around at the scene of the short lived battle. "Is anyone okay?" he asked as he held Sir Edmond's toledo steel blade in his right hand. He received nods from Victoria and Felipe while his father and Teo were tying up the four bandits and they would take them to the nearest town for the local authorities to handle. He heard the driver moan and was about to help him down from the stage when felt someone watching him again; it was the same feeling he had when they were in Cadiz.

He swept his gaze around the area and he stopped when he saw a figure on horseback, about a half a mile to the west of them, just sitting there watching them.

"Who's that?" Don Alejandro asked as he came up to his son. "And why didn't he come to help?"

Diego frowned as he watched the figure turned his horse around and disappeared over the hill. "I don't know, perhaps he thought we didn't need help." he replied.

Don Alejandro heard the worry in his son's voice. "What is it son, you seem rather pensive." he said quietly.

Diego sighed as he faced his father. "You remember that feeling I had a couple of days ago..."

Don Alejandro frowned. "The one where you felt we were being followed? Are you saying you have it again?"

"Yes and I'm certain that the man on the horse has something to do with it." He replied as he glanced once more to the place where the man had been.

Don Alejandro ran his fingers through his silver hair. "But why would anyone do us any harm?"

Diego shrugged. "I don't know." He looked back at where Teo and Victoria were tending to the wounded driver, while Felipe tied the bandits horses to the rear of the stage coach. "I want to keep this to ourselves for the time being father, just in case I'm being paranoid." he said quietly.

Don Alejandro nodded. "Of course, we'll both keep an eye on things."

"Hey Diego, do you know how to drive a stage coach? The driver is okay but he won't be able to handle the four horses, at least not on his own." Teo called out.

Diego exchange a glance with his father before they crossed over to the others. "I guess I can learn." he replied with a smile.

* * *

The next several days passed without any further incident; but Diego refused to let his guard down for he knew that the man, the stranger, would still be there, following them and he had to make certain that he was ready for anything.

It happened on the night after they had left Cordoba; they had made their overnight stop at a small roadside tavern before they were to transverse the Despeñaperros Pass the following day. They were relaxing in the tavern, having just finished their supper, when they heard shouts and then gunfire from outside. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do but when they heard another musket shot. Diego, his father and Teo raced outside along with the driver of the stage coach and the owner of the tavern who took a lantern from the top of the bar while Felipe and Victoria stayed inside with the owner's wife.

The shouts came from the coral and in the full moonlight, Diego saw one lancer standing beside another who was kneeling beside another man on the ground, while a further two lancers were searching the area. "I wonder what happened?" he muttered to his father.

Don Alejandro shrugged. "Not sure. Sergeant what is going on here?" he called out to the lancer as his son crossed over to them and knelt down to assist the soldier with the wounded man but even in the dim light, he knew that the man was not long for this world.

The Sergeant turned and gazed at them. "We caught this man tampering with the stage coach." he replied.

The driver cursed as he moved over to his stage. "I need a lantern. Which part of the coach was he near?"

"Around the rear of the stage Señor." The sergeant replied as the tavern owner walked over with the lantern so that the driver could check his vehicle.

Diego felt his stomach twist in knots as he saw the scarred face of the dying man and he had a sudden flashback to the time he was jostled at the docks when they disembarked from the ship. "You were at the docks when we arrived." he said with a frown on his face.

Vargas turned his pain filled gaze to the man he had been paid to kill but in the end it was him who would die; the lancers were not meant to be there, it was not the time of their routine patrol and he almost succeeded but he knew that he was dying as he coughed up more blood from the chest wound he had received from the lancer's musket and he had a sudden need to seek redemption before he met his God. He reached out weakly and with one last fight of his breath, he uttered. "The...ring...the man with...the ring...wanted you...dead..."

"What ring? What man?" Diego asked but Vargas eyes rolled back in his head, his hand went limp. Vargas died without giving him the information he needed.

The driver cursed once more as he found what the man was doing to his stage. "That fool had removed one of the wheel nuts and loosened another. It would have meant all our deaths tomorrow going through the pass."

Don Alejandro glanced at Teo before he turned his gazed to his son who was now standing over the body of the man who would have killed them all. "Why would anyone want to kill us?"

"I think I can answer that." A familiar but a very unexpected voice came from behind them.

Diego swivelled around. "Ignacio? Ignacio de Soto?" he said as he stared incredulously at their former leader and his one time rival.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ignacio gave a small smile at the surprised look on his one time enemy's face; it wasn't often that he had seen that particular express. "Yes, it's me Don Diego." he replied as he shifted his gaze to the man on the ground. "Is Vargas dead?" he asked the lancer.

"Yes Don Ignacio." The sergeant replied.

Ignacio frowned; he had been hoping to get more information out of him. "I told you I wanted him alive Sergeant." he reprimanded the soldier.

"I know sir, sorry sir but in the struggle, the pistol went off before we could subdue him."

Ignacio sighed; what's done is done. "Well, did he say anything before he died?"

It was Diego who answered. "He said something about a man with a ring."

"Just what is going on de Soto? Why would that man want to kill us?" Don Alejandro demanded.

Ignacio held back another sigh, this was one conversation that he wasn't looking forward to. "I think it would be better to discuss this inside Don Alejandro." he said before he turned to the lancer. "Sergeant, organise two of the men to take the body back to Cordoba and hand over him to the local authorities for burial. And also have the men stay alert tonight, we don't know if there will any further attacks on the Marqués and his family."

Diego, Teo and Don Alejandro exchanged a look while the sergeant snapped to attention. "Yes Don Ignacio, I'll get right on it." he replied.

Ignacio nodded. "Good."

Don Alejandro stepped forward. "Just how did you know that my son is to become a Marqués?"

Ignacio smiled. "It's hardly a secret Don Alejandro, all of Madrid knows. Come, let's go inside and I'll answer all your questions." He replied as he gestured to the tavern.

Diego shook his head. "It must be something interesting to bring you all the way from England." he said as they turned and walked towards the tavern, leaving the driver and the owner to fix the stage and the lancers to begin the preparations to transport the body of Vargas back to Cordoba.

"You could say that Don Diego." Ignacio replied.

Felipe and Victoria looked up worriedly as they heard footsteps at the doorway and both were relieved when Diego came through but Victoria's jaw dropped when Ignacio de Soto followed him.

Ignacio grinned; this was another expression he rarely saw. "Buenos noches Doña Victoria, Don Felipe. I see that you weren't expecting me to come through the door." he said with a grin.

She immediately closed her mouth and gazed at Diego, who smiled. "It's okay, you haven't seen a ghost." he said as he crossed over to them, with Don Alejandro and Teo behind him.

"Well, no, you're the last person I would expect to see." she admitted. "What happened? Is anyone okay?" she asked as she gazed at the men.

Don Alejandro frowned. "That's what de Soto is going to explain."

"Yes, please explain why someone would want to kill us." Diego added as they sat down.

Victoria and Felipe exchanged a look. "What do you mean, kill us?" she said.

Ignacio sighed as he sat down opposite Teo, who nodded slightly; the action wasn't lost on the others.

"Do you two know each other? Do you know what's going on Teo?" Don Alejandro asked his old friend through narrowed eyes.

Teo smiled re-assuringly. "de Soto and I met just before he was posted to England and as to what is going on, I'm not sure but I think it might be time for truth, the real truth to come out." He said as he gazed intently at Ignacio.

Ignacio returned the gaze of the older man and thought about his options. He would be breaking his orders if he told them and there could be repercussions if he did so; it could cost him his position at the Embassy or worse but the situation was serious enough to warrant breaking those orders and it seemed that Teo was giving him permission to speak of it.

Diego watched with interest at the silent communication between the two men and he knew that whatever the reason for this Vargas to kill him and his family was bigger than he first thought. "So are you going to tell us or are you going to stare at each other all night like lovestruck teenagers." he said calmly, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Teo chuckled while Ignacio shook his head and came to a decision.

"Do you know a man by the name of Ramiro Lopes de Toledo?" Ignacio asked carefully.

"de Toledo...? No I don't believe I do. What about you Diego?" Don Alejandro turned to his son.

Diego frowned. "I'm not sure, I don't think so. Who is he?"

Ignacio sighed. "He was a minor royal whom the King had expelled from Spain and her territories for an act of treason."

Don Alejandro snorted. "He was lucky that he wasn't executed but what does that have to do with us?"

Ignacio took a deep breath. "It has to do with your son."

Don Alejandro frowned. "Diego? What has he done?"

"No, not Diego, your other son Gilberto." Ignacio replied softly.

"Gilberto? I don't understand." Don Alejandro muttered as the blood drained from his face.

Diego reached out and gently touched his father's arm; he knew that the older man had never fully recovered from the horror of discovering his son had been stolen from birth and raised in such horrible way that he sought vengeance for his abandonment. They rarely talked about him now but he knew that his father had never forgiven that woman for what she had done, while he himself had released the anger long ago and now felt only sadness that he had never known Gilberto as a brother.

Ignacio hated to do this to the older man but it was time for the whole truth to come out, no matter how distasteful it was. So with much kindness and compassion, he retold them what he previously written to Diego a year ago; of how Gilberto and another man had made an agreement together in which Gilberto would take over the de la Vega estates and they would do this by committing treason against the King by forging his signature to orders to gather a War Tax.

But now he explained the real reason behind the conspiracy. Having heard that Diego was to become Marqués of Villafranca, de Toledo, a very minor royal, believed that the title rightfully belonged to him and together with Gilberto, they had conspired against the King in the hopes that de Toledo would regain his family title, while Gilberto would get his revenge against the father whom he believed had abandoned him. Each man would get what he wanted at the expense of Don Alejandro and Diego de la Vega lives.

Victoria felt hot tears well in her eyes and her heart almost broke at sight of her father-in-law's white face and her husband's solemn expression at the terrible news of de Toledo and Gilberto and what they did. She knew it had been hard for both the men to hear more details about the son and brother and she didn't know how much more they could take.

Diego felt his father grip his arm back and he knew that the older man was struggling with his emotions. To learn even more about Gilberto and this other man had brought everything back to them, the hurt, the guilt; was Gilberto to haunt them forever, he mused to himself. He cleared his throat. "Do...do you think that this de Toledo is behind this...attempt to ...kill us? And what about this ring?"

Ignacio nodded. "I have information from a reliable source that de Toledo himself was seen hiring Vargas. de Toledo, by the way, wears a rather ostentatious ring."

Don Alejandro snorted. "Many men wear such rings. I, myself wear a ring and so do you." he stated.

"That's true but the information I was given included a description of this ring and it took some time to discovery who it belonged to. The ring bears the seal of the old Marqués of Villafranca on it which he claims was passed down through male line to himself but the last Marqués had no children, at least officially anyway." Ignacio replied.

Victoria couldn't believe it. "But why would this man do this to us now? How can he think that if he...kills us, then he would get the title anyway?"

Ignacio sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps he believes just that, perhaps he is out for revenge for having been expelled from Spain or maybe he's just insane. It could be any number of reasons."

"Does the King know?" Teo asked.

Ignacio nodded. "He does, which is why I am here with the squad of lancers, to escort you to Madrid."

Diego sat back and frowned. "So, you believe that de Toledo is still a threat to us?"

Ignacio sighed and ran his fingers through his white hair. "To be honest Diego, if he took the risk of returning back to Madrid, of all places, after he had been expelled from the country, just to hire Vargas, then I don't think he would give up so easily."

Don Alejandro rose suddenly, his seat scrapping the floor. "Please excuse me." he muttered as he moved to the main door and walked outside into the cool evening.

Everyone was startled by his sudden exit; he had been silent for most of the conversation and it had worried Diego a great deal and he was about to follow his father when he felt a hand on his arm.

"I'll go." Teo said quietly as he stood up.

Diego frowned. "But he needs me."

Teo shook his head. "I think he needs a friend more than a son right now."

The two men gazed at each other for a moment before Diego nodded. "Alright." he agreed reluctantly.

Teo nodded before he turned and followed his friend outside. He was worried about Alejandro when he saw how pale he had become when de Soto told them about the history between Gilberto Risendo and de Toledo and he had hoped to spare him the pain of knowing the truth.

"Alejandro." he called out as he peered into the night. He waited and for a moment he thought that his old friend would not answer him but he eventually did.

"Over here."

Teo frowned at the barely repressed anger in his voice as he moved towards the coral; two lancers were on duty nearby but not close enough to hear them. "Do you want to talk?"

Don Alejandro turned on all his pain, all his anger towards his friend. "What about Teo? Talk about that you lie to me, that you hide the truth from me? Tell me Teo, were you ever going to tell me about my son Gilberto or were you just going hope that it wouldn't come up in conversation? I trusted you Teo, but now I find that you knew all along. How dare you come to me in friendship when you knew what happened?" Without warning he swung his arm and punched his friend on the jaw.

Teo staggered back as he held his hand to his jaw. "Do you feel better now, Alejandro?" He said warily as eyed his friend.

Don Alejandro sagged against the wooden railing as his anger disappeared as suddenly as it came, leaving him feeling old and tired. "Madre de dios. Please forgive me Teo, I don't know what got into me."

Teo nodded as he moved closer. "Now do you want to talk?"

Don Alejandro sighed as he ran his fingers through his silver hair. "Is there anything else I should know? Does everyone know about Gilberto being my son and how he was taken from us?"

Teo sighed. "Yes, it's common knowledge Alejandro but I would imagine that most people won't say anything out of respect to you. What de Soto told you is everything I know but I can't guarantee that there won't be any further surprises. de Toledo was exiled and stripped of his rank for his role in the conspiracy and no-one could have foretold that he would come back to Spain and seek some kind of revenge against your family." he paused for a moment. "Felicidad would not have wanted you to stay angry at Señora Risendo." he said quietly.

Don Alejandro rubbed his eyes. "I know but when I think of what she did, I just can't find it in myself to forgive her. The Padre said that I should be compassionate because she was unable to have children herself. Well, I can understand that for even Felicidad and I couldn't have any more children but we didn't go around stealing babies."

Teo nodded thoughtfully. "True but we don't understand the heartache that comes from being unable to have children at all. Teresa's sister and her husband have not been blessed and I can see their hurt and sadness in not having children and Teresa occasionally feels this strange sense of guilt that she has children while her sister does not, even though she doesn't begrudge Teresa at all." he paused to allow his words to sink in. "Can you imagine how it would feel for a woman, a midwife at that, to deliver baby after baby, knowing that she would never have one herself. That pain turned into bitterness each time she saw the happiness of both parents at the birth of their child; happiness that was denied to her. I think it would drive any person mad."

Don Alejandro closed his eyes, he didn't want to think about it but Teo's words rang truer than any priest's could. Perhaps because it was Teo's sister-in-law who was unable to have children that made it more real, more personal and a little more believable that it could turn a woman into a bitter and twisted person.

He sighed as he opened his eyes. "That doesn't excuse what she did."

"No it doesn't but it does help to explain why she did it."

"I guess." he muttered as he slowly recognised that perhaps his friend was right, that grief and anger could turn to bitterness and that in turn could destroy someone's mind. Perhaps it was time to let go of the pain, the hatred and try to forgive. He knew that was what Felicidad would have wanted. "What happened to her anyway?"

"It was decided at the inquest that instead of imprisoning her for her role in the affair, she would be placed into a closed convent and remain there in seclusion for the rest of her life, with no contact with the outside world." he replied.

Don Alejandro turned away and took a long breath and slowly let it out before he turned back and he gazed at his friend. "Just look at us Teo, what would Felicidad say if she saw us now? We never actually hit each other before, no matter how much I wanted to." he said with a small smile.

Teo grinned. "Yes, I know that feeling all too well Alejandro. I think she would be rather annoyed with both of us and she probably would have scolded us like children."

Don Alejandro chuckled. "I think she would at that. She certainly wasn't shy in speaking her mind."

Teo chuckled too. "No, she wasn't. It was one of the things that I always liked about her."

"I loved her for it." Don Alejandro added quietly.

The two men were silent once more as each remembered the woman they had loved but only one had married.

Don Alejandro straightened up. "Thank you Teo, for listening"

Teo nodded. "That's what friends are for Alejandro." he paused and then grinned. "Next time, I get to hit you." he teased his friend.

Don Alejandro smiled and shook his head. "Goodnight my friend, I'll be in shortly."

"Of course." Teo replied as he turned and left his friend to his thoughts. He re-entered the tavern to find Diego waiting for him; the others he assumed, had retired to their rooms.

"What happened, I heard shouting." Diego asked worriedly as he rose to his feet. Then he saw a slight bruising on the older man's jaw. "Did he hit you?" he asked incredulously.

Teo rubbed his jaw. "Yes, well, he's got a good right hook that I didn't know about." he remarked with a wry smile. "It's alright, no harm done. In fact he's probably better for it." he added as he moved towards the stairs. "He'll be fine Diego.'" he reassured him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Teo." he replied absently as the older man walked up the stairs to his room.

Just then Don Alejandro came through the doorway and saw his son and smiled wryly. "You didn't have to wait for me."

Diego nodded. "I wanted to." he replied as his father came up to him. "But did you have to hit Teo?" he asked.

Don Alejandro chuckled as they moved towards the stairs. "Well, he had it coming to him."

Diego smiled. "I'm sure he said the same if the positions were reversed." He replied as they walked up the stairs and along the hallway.

"Actually he did." He replied as they stopped outside his room. He turned and placed his hand on Diego's arm. "I'm okay son, it was just a shock that's all." he said quietly.

Diego nodded. "I understand. If you ever need to talk..."

Don Alejandro squeezed his arm. "I know and I will. Goodnight Diego."

"Goodnight father."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Madrid, Spain

Ramiro Lopes de Toledo sat on the balcony of his third floor apartment, twisting his family ring around his finger in annoyance. Word had reached him that Vargas had not only failed in his task but had been killed by a lancer and that the de la Vegas had just arrived in Madrid and would soon be crowned Marqués. He fumed as he realised that he would have to take care of it himself; he knew that he should not have left it to some incompetent fool who couldn't do a simply task as eliminating one man. No doubt Vargas had talked before he died for even now there was talk that the authorities were searching for him, although how they could have linked his name to Vargas was a mystery as he had been careful not to reveal his identity but thankfully he still had friends in Madrid who were willing to aid him.

With their help, he had arranged passage from Italy, where he had taken refuge after he had been exiled for his role in the Risendo scandal; a scandal that had all but ruined him politically although not financially, he had retained his wealth including a number of downtown properties and if Risendo wasn't already dead, he would have killed him himself for deceiving him about his true parentage. He knew now that if Risendo had been successful in gaining control over the de la Vega estates, he would not have been satisfied with just the estates in the colonies but it was highly probable that he would then get the idea that the title belonged to him and would cause him problems.

But Risendo had died and he had been exiled and he promised himself that he would return to Spain for one thing and one thing only; to regain his family title. He knew there was only one way for him to do that was for him to eliminate de la Vega and align himself with the republicans to force the King out and in returned for his support, he would demand the title of Marqués of Villafranca to be re-instated to his family. He had already made tentative contact with various members of the Liberals, through an intermediary of course, and even at this early stage, it was looking favourable to succeed. He knew which way the political wind was blowing and it was blowing in the favour of the Liberals but he didn't think it odd that he would seek his title with the help of a group of people wanting to reduce the authority of the Spanish throne; it was just a means to an end.

But first he had to deal with de la Vega and his family and he had an idea of how to do that.

* * *

Once the de la Vegas had arrived in Madrid, they hired a carriage to take them to the home of Don Alejandro's former brother-in-law, Salvador de la Crúz and his wife Maribel, where they would stay until Diego was officially the Marqués of Villafranca and had their own residence, while Teo went home to a happy reunion with his wife Teresa, where he told her that he had been offered the position of aide de camp and after much discussion for and against, he decided to accept the honourable post of aide to the new Marqués.

Ignacio had returned to his lodgings but not before Diego had asked him if he would like to stay on with them as head of security; both men knew that protection was needed while de Toledo was still a threat and Ignacio had been humbled by this request but as Diego had told him, there was no-one else he trusted to help protect his family. He had accepted as long as it was approved by the Foreign Office as he was due to leave Spain immediately after the ceremony to resume his posting at the Spanish Embassy.

Salvador had just stepped out of his large two storey home when he heard a carriage coming up the driveway and when he saw who it was, he grinned. "Well, well, well. Look what the cat has dragged in." he said as the carriage stopped in front of him.

"It's good to see you too Salvador, you old buzzard." Alejandro grinned as he alighted from the carriage.

"Old! You're older than me Alejandro." Salvador replied.

"Only by four years." Don Alejandro replied as they embraced warmly, while Diego helped Victoria down from the carriage with Felipe behind her. He was pleased that his father seemed more at ease with himself over the last couple of days, it was as though he had finally accepted what had happened with Señora Risendo and Gilberto and had laid the ghosts to rest.

Salvador turned to his nephew and grinned. "Diego or perhaps I should say, my Most Illustrious Lord, it's wonderful to see you again." he teased.

Diego chuckled as he embraced his uncle. "It's good to see you too again uncle." He replied before he turned to Victoria and Felipe. "Let me introduce you to my wife Victoria and my son Felipe. Victoria, Felipe, this is my uncle Salvador." he introduced them.

Salvador smiled warmly and flashed the same blue eyes that Diego had. "Welcome to our family Victoria, I always believed that there was some young lady back in Los Angeles while he was studying at the university, for he was always moping around, pining for his lost love and I'm glad to be proven right. You're a lucky man Diego." he teased as he pulled her into a warm embrace.

She smiled as she hugged him. "I'm the one that's lucky." she replied as she pulled back.

He nodded and then turned to the young man and smiled warmly. "So you are Felipe. You know, your father couldn't stop talking about you when he was here, so much so that it feels that you have been part of the family for years, which it has." He said as he pulled the young man into a warm embrace. "Come, let's get inside and get you settled in and then we can catch up on news. Maribel is visiting our daughter but she'll be home soon." He said as he led the way inside his home.

* * *

Over the following week, Don Alejandro spent time catching up with his old friends and remaining family members, mostly ended up with having celebratory drinks for the news of his son's honour had become widely known, while Diego showed his wife and son around the great city including parts of the University that was open to the public and both Victoria and Felipe were amazed by the size of the place and Felipe was able to see for himself what it would be like for him if he decided to take up law. He still wasn't sure about his speech; he was able to say several more words now but he only spoke them in private for he was somewhat embarrassed by the stutter he had developed, which his father had re-assured him, would go once he became more confident about speaking.

It was just over a week since they arrived when Teo came with news.

"I'm glad that I caught you all here together." he said as they settled down in the sala while Salvador and Maribel left them alone to discuss things in private. "I've just come from the King and let me say that he is pleased that you will be accepting the title, although he was deeply concerned when I confirmed the attempt on your life. He also granted you your request to have de Soto as head of your security for as long as he's needed and that it won't affect his own career."

Diego nodded. "That is good news Teo, Ignacio will be pleased to hear it. I think he sees his future in the diplomatic arena and I would hate to see him suffer because of me."

Teo smiled as he settled back in his chair. "I can now also tell you about the task that the King wants you to do."

Don Alejandro frowned slightly. "You know I almost forgot about that."

Diego shook his head; he hadn't forgotten. "So what does this job entail. I don't think it will be political or military, I don't have any knowledge in that area." he said.

Teo grinned. "No, it's nothing like that but you already have the knowledge and expertise for the job."

Victoria shifted in her seat. "Just tell us already." she muttered in exasperation.

Diego smiled; his wife wasn't known for her patience. "What expertise could I have that no-one else in Spain have?"

"Horses." Teo said simply.

Don Alejandro frowned. "Horses? Victoria is right, just tell us straight Teo."

Teo nodded and leant forward. "Spain is known for many things but one of the most famous is for our Andalusian horses. For many centuries the Andalusian has been known as a fierce but sturdy and intelligent war horse and were prized by not only by our Nobility but by other Royal houses across Europe; they regarded them as the best breed of horse one could own and were often traded in diplomatic treaties. But now, we are in danger of losing our most famous horse, in fact it's become so bad that they are in danger of becoming extinct as a breed."

Don Alejandro exchanged a glance Diego. "What do you mean extinct, how can that be? Isn't some of the large Monasteries responsible for breeding and keeping detailed records?"

Teo nodded again. "Normally yes, but unfortunately there has been much political and religious unrest in and around those monasteries in the last twenty years or so and being at war for many years meant the requisitioning of ALL horses regardless of whether they were breeding animals or not and along with some dubious crossbreeding that has been occurring lately and the outright theft of pure blood mares and foals from the pastures by the invading armies, has reduced the numbers of Andalusians dramatically.

What the King wants from you Diego, is for you to travel the country to see exactly where and how many Andalusians Spain has left. In essence, he wants a detailed census but not only that, he also wants you to bring any excellent breeding stock that you discover, both stallions and fillies and even mares with foals, back to the main three or four monasteries in the south to re-establish them as stud farms. The King wants to make sure that our great Andalusians survive as a breed and he has given you complete authority over this and since the horses are all under royal protection, you have every right to move them without any kind of interference from anyone."

"Madre de dios." Don Alejandro muttered as he stared at Teo. "That could take months or even years."

Diego was dumbfounded, whatever he had been expecting, it was most definitely not this; it was a huge undertaking. "But...but why me? Surely there are others more experienced for this job." he said as he felt Victoria's hand on his arm. He turned and found the same stunned expression on her face that was on his.

Teo smiled. "There probably is but there are two main reasons why he wants you. First, your family has built up a well respected reputation for breeding horses of good stock, including Andalusians and secondly but most importantly, the King wanted someone who was independent from the political infighting that has been going on ever since his return. You have no political agenda of your own, so he can trust you to do this important job for the country without you lining your own pockets by selling the horses to or lie about how many there are. Can you imagine Spain without the Andalusians?" he added.

Diego took a deep breath and slowly released it. "Actually I can't imagine it." He turned his gaze to his father. "I'll need help."

Don Alejandro knew what his son was asking him but he shook his head. "I'm flattered that you want me to help but you have as much knowledge as I do about horses. You already know what to look for when selecting the best breeding stock from the main herd, you know the signs of any weakness in an animal and as you have handled our stock books for a couple of years, you know how to keep detailed records. Son, this is the job for you, just as the ranch is mine and I have complete faith in your abilities to do it."

Diego felt a rush of pride at his father's words. "Gracias father."

"How will Diego do this job? Can Felipe and I go with him." Victoria spoke up.

"When do we begin?" Diego added his own question.

Teo smiled at the questions. "There should be no reason why you can't go with him Victoria but there are some areas of the country that are more dangerous than others and it would be best for you to stay behind. You won't begin until after the round of parties is over, perhaps another month or so." He shook his head. "The details don't have to be worked out right now, we can plan it all out later."

"Pa...par..parties?" Felipe stuttered.

Teo chuckled. "Yes, that's right young man, there will be several parties after your father is crowned as Marqués and I'm sure there will be several young women who would like to meet the heir apparent."

Don Alejandro chuckled at the strange expression on his grandson's face; a mixture of panic and eagerness; it was a feeling he too felt when he was Felipe's age and had found the fairer sex irresistible.

"I'm sure that Felipe will be fine." Victoria said with a warm smile on her face; she just hoped that the young ladies would not make fun of his speech. "Once they see this handsome young man, they will be asking him for dances."

Felipe felt his ears burn at the teasing, he didn't feel the same confidence that Victoria had in him; it wasn't going to be like the parties that they had held in Los Angeles, where all the women knew him and it was easy enough for them to understand his sign for dancing. It would be a very formal party and he just couldn't make signs at princesses without getting thrown out. Or perhaps he should just be himself and that meant signing. He remembered what his father once told him about how to act around young women; just to be himself and if a young lady didn't like that, then she wasn't the one for him.

"Now that we're on the subject, the King has requested your presence in three days; it's just to meet all of you before the ceremony in two weeks. It probably won't last longer the five minutes but if you have any questions, Diego, this might be the time to ask it."

Victoria's jaw dropped. "The...King...wants to meet us?"

Diego swallowed hard. "I guess we should have expected this."

"Yes, you should have son." Don Alejandro said with amusement in his voice. He was amazed that they didn't think that the King would want to meet them first.

* * *

Three days later the four de la Vegas and Teo were in a waiting room off the great hall of the Royal Palace for their audience with the King.

Victoria smiled. "So, father, when was the first time you meet the King?"

Don Alejandro snorted but the words that followed weren't his voice.

"Lieutenant de la Vega was the only officer who ever had the courage to tell a rather young prince that he was being a pain in the backside." said a slightly amused but a rather authoritarian voice from behind them.

They all turned as one and saw King Ferdinand walking into the room with an aide behind him.

"Your Majesty." Don Alejandro said as he bowed low from the waist, followed by Diego, Felipe and Teo while Victoria curtsied as she had been taught.

King Ferdinand smiled. "It's been a long time Alejandro." he said as he held out his hand. "Did you have a good trip from the Americas?"

Don Alejandro smiled back. "Well let's just say it wasn't a boring voyage Sire." he replied as he shook the King's hand. "May I present my son Diego."

The King turned his gaze to his newest Marqués. "I'm pleased to finally meet you Diego and under such wonderful terms. I hope it wasn't too much of a surprise for you." he said with a smile.

Diego bowed his head slightly. "Not so much as a surprise, more like a bombshell, your Majesty." he replied with a small smile.

King Ferdinand chuckled. "There wasn't much I could do about the shock but at least the news came from someone you know."

Diego's smile widened; he never expected the King to be pleasant after what he had heard about him. "Yes, I don't think I would have believed it if it came a stranger." He turned slightly to his left. "May I present to you my wife Victoria Escalante and my son Felipe de la Vega." he introduced them.

Victoria felt her throat constrict at meeting the King of Spain; a man who only seemed to be five or ten years older than Diego. She curtsied again. "Your Majesty. It's an honour to meet you."

King Ferdinand smiled warmly at the young woman. "It's my honour, Doña Victoria to meet such a lovely lady. I understand that this is your first time not only to Spain but to Europe as well." he said.

She smiled nervously and nodded. "Yes that's right."

"Well I hope your husband is showing you the sights of our great city, there is plenty to see." he said.

Victoria flickered a glance Diego, who smiled re-assuringly. "Yes, he is."

"That's good." He turned to the younger man he knew was Diego's adopted son who had the misfortune of not being able to speak.

Felipe bowed his head and signed which his father immediately interpreted. "My son is honoured to meet you, Sire."

King Ferdinand nodded and smiled. "I'm pleased to meet you, young man." He turned to face them all. "I'm sure that you have plenty of questions but unfortunately I don't have time to answer them." he paused as he gazed at Diego. "Take a walk with me, kinsman."

Diego nodded. "Of course Sire." he replied as he followed his distant relation out of the room, leaving behind his curious family.

"I understand that you wish to make your home in California and not here in Spain. Do you think that's somewhat inappropriate considering the honour I am bestowing on your family?" King Ferdinand asked calmly as they walked along the hallway towards the doorway that led to a garden.

Diego knew instantly that this was the King speaking not the pleasant man who had greeted his family. "I am fully aware of the great honour you have granted us and I mean no disrespect to you." He paused for a moment. "May I speak frankly Sire?"

King Ferdinand nodded.

"I did not ask for this..." he started to say.

"So you're saying that this is my fault, kinsman?" he said with annoyance in his voice.

Diego bit his tongue on what he was going to say. "Of course not Sire. I will, of course, spend time here in Madrid but I wish to spend time in California too."

The King stopped and gazed intently at the younger man beside him. "Just what is so special about California?"

Many thoughts went through Diego's mind but he summed it up in two words. "Its home."

"Home." The King muttered. "You are as direct and honest as your father, others would have said something to appease me."

Diego wisely said nothing.

"I will consider it." The King finally said. "Now, I understand that your aide has informed you of what I want you to do."

Diego nodded. "Yes, he has and I will do my best to see the Andalusians survive as a breed." he promised.

"See that you do." The king paused as he saw his private secretary walking towards him with a slight frown on his face. "What is it Louis?"

Louis bowed his head. "The Prime Minister is here to see you, Sire."

The King sighed. "I wish I had more time to speak with you and hear your opinion on that masked bandit that frustrated the local administration, what was he called...?"

Diego swallowed hard and schooled his face into a neutral expression. "Do you mean El Zorro, Sire?"

King Ferdinand nodded. "Yes that's the name but unfortunately duty calls. I will see you at the ceremony in two weeks, kinsman."

Diego bowed from the waist at the obvious dismissal. "Of course, Sire." he replied as he stepped back several paces before he turned and left King Ferdinand with his secretary.

He walked down the corridor with a frown on his face; just what did the King mean by that remark? He knew that reports of Zorro had reached Madrid in the official reports from both Ramone and de Soto as well the private letters from the citizens to their family and friends in Spain and from what his aunt had told him, Zorro had become something of a folk legend amongst the working class almost like the English legend of Robin Hood. But now he wondered if the King knew anything about the identity of Zorro or was it just an innocent question? Whichever it was, he would have to be on guard; he didn't want the risk of Zorro's identity becoming public knowledge.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Whether it was the excitement of the coming ceremony and the preparations to move into their official residence or if it was the planning the search for the Andalusian horses or that they were just simply unlucky, but whatever the reason, their guard was lowered and de Toledo took the opportunity to eliminate de la Vega for good.

Diego was standing at the dining table with his father beside him while Teo and his uncle were on the opposite side and between them was a large map of Spain. "So where do you think I should start my search. Should I go to the north first or south to where the monasteries are?" He asked with a slight frown on his face as he looked down at the map.

"I think the south." Salvador said as he gazed at the map.

"What about the North?" Don Alejandro said. "Once word gets out that you are searching for the horses, it will be very easy for people to hide them across the border and out of your reach."

Teo stroked his beard as he thought about it. "That's true but it's just as easy to load them onto ships and take them across the sea."

Diego nodded. "It will be totally impossible to find every single one but as long as we recognise the fact that there will be people who will conceal the horses from us and accept that there's nothing we can do about it except hope that it's not too widespread."

"You're right Diego, there's not much you can do unless you want to involve lancers and force them to hand over the horses." Don Alejandro said even though he knew what the answer would be.

"No, I don't want violence." Diego replied sharply.

Teo frowned slightly. "You may not want violence but not everyone is going to hand over their best horses willingly, even with a written decree from the King. I would like to suggest that we take a squad of Royal Lancers with us, not only for protection but also for a show of force as it were."

For a moment there was silence between the four men before Diego sighed as he realised the necessity of having lancers with them. "Very well then, we'll take the lancers with us as well as a number of vaqueros to help drive any horses we feel is best suited to breeding."

"Maribel's brother has a large estate just south of here and I'm sure he'll be willing to let you have some of his men. That way, you'll know that they are trustworthy." Salvador suggested.

Diego nodded. "Thank you Uncle that would be a great help. Now where do we begin?"

Teo nodded as he traced his hand over the southern part of Spain. "I agree with Salvador, I think it would be best to start with the Carthusian monasteries here in Seville, Jerez and here at Cazalla. These have been the official stud farms for hundreds of years and therefore they will have the most knowledge of not only their own stock but of where other smaller studs might be located. The only problem is that they have a reputation of being closed mouth; the administrators of the monasteries see it as their right to be the only ones with this knowledge and you may find resentment amongst them."

Diego smiled wryly. "Yes, I can imagine they wouldn't like an outsider coming in to re-organise the entire operation."

Don Alejandro nodded. "Not to mention the fact the King didn't trust the job to one of their own; it would be like a slap in the face for the monks. You will have to tread carefully and be diplomatic, son." he advised.

"Aren't I always father?" Diego replied with a teasing gleam in his blue eyes.

Don Alejandro snorted but before he could say anything about his son's ability to seek out trouble, there was a loud banging on the front door with shouts of urgency.

The four men looked at each other before they made their way out of the room. As they turned the corner that saw Ignacio struggling to hold Felipe upright; the younger man was bleeding from a head wound, while Ignacio himself ignored the pain in his right arm where he had been slashed by a sword.

"Felipe!" Diego called out as he rushed up to his son and took Felipe's weight from Ignacio. "What happened? Where's Victoria?" He tried to control his panic at not seeing her as he carried Felipe over to a chair and sat him down.

"Get some cloth and warm water and some bandages." Salvador ordered his man servant, who nodded and left.

"Where's my wife?" Diego gritted his teeth as he glanced at Ignacio who was being helped by his father and Teo to another chair where they carefully removed his jacket.

"He's got her, Diego." Ignacio replied as they gently ripped his bloodied shirt sleeve.

Don Alejandro felt sick at the realisation of what had happened to his daughter-in-law. "de Toledo."

Ignacio nodded as two servants came back with bowls of warm water, cloths and bandages and handed them out. "I recognised his very distinctive ring."

Diego quickly dampened a cloth and gently wiped the blood away off his son's face. "Madre de dios." he muttered as he clearly saw a bullet graze on the side on his head, just above his temple but thankfully it wasn't deep. "It will be okay Felipe." He re-assured his son, who nodded weakly. "What happened Ignacio?" he asked as he carefully tended to the wound; while trying to ignore the fear that was growing in his stomach.

Ignacio winced as Don Alejandro tended to his wound. "de Toledo jumped us." he winced again. "Victoria had just emerged from the dressmaker and we were walking towards the laneway when he came out of nowhere. He shot and killed one of my men, then shot at Felipe before I even knew what was happening." he stopped as a strong surge of pain shot up his arm.

"You may need stitches Ignacio." Don Alejandro said worriedly as he gazed at the gash on his forearm.

Ignacio shook his head. "Later, later, just bandage it for now." he said through gritted teeth.

Diego finished bandaging his son's head and turned his cold gaze to the man he had trusted with the safety of his family and tried hard not to blame him as Ignacio continued with his story.

"He grabbed Victoria but she struggled and managed to get out of his grip. We then fought with swords but he was too good and I thought he was going to kill me too but he let me live." he paused as he turned his guilt ridden eyes to Diego; he had failed to protect his charge. "He wanted me to give you a message."

Diego clenched his jaw in anger. "What message?"

Ignacio took a breath. "He said that...that if you want to see your wife alive again, you will give up the title."

Don Alejandro exploded in a burst of anger. "That's outrageous, what kind of man is he, to hide behind a woman."

"He is a man I will kill if he harms Victoria." Diego's voice was cold and dangerous.

* * *

Victoria paced furiously around the small room that was her prison; she was too agitated to sit on the small cot which was the only piece of furniture in the room other than a metal bucket and a lantern that sat burning on the floor in the corner. It was her fault that the guard had been killed; her fault that Felipe and Ignacio had been wounded; her fault that she was in this place, wherever it was for there was no window to see out and the door was the only way in or out.

She had needed a final fitting of her formal ball gown for the ceremony and it was Felipe, along with Ignacio and a lancer, who had escorted her to the premises of the highly respected seamstress in the more exclusive area of the city; usually it was Aunt Maribel who would have accompanied her but the older lady needed to visit her daughter who was feeling ill with first pregnancy, so Victoria had asked Felipe to go instead.

Everything had gone fine until she left the seamstress and decided to go down a side street to a book shop she had noticed on her earlier visits, she wanted to buy a gift for her husband; perhaps a science book that he had never read before or some other subject he might be interested in but that decision had cost a man's life. She cursed herself as recalled the gunshot coming from behind her and as she turned around to see where it came from, she saw a man with a cold murderous look on his face and as he raised another pistol, the sun gleamed off the large ring on the man's finger and she realised that this was the man that wanted them dead.

It wasn't until he had shot at Felipe and grabbed her from behind and placed his hand over her mouth, did she snap out of her shock and stamped down on his foot and elbowed him in the stomach as hard as she could. She scrambled away as he let her go and it was then that Ignacio drew his sword and fought him but de Toledo was too good and quickly disarmed Ignacio and before she could reach Felipe, he had grabbed her again and this time he did not let go no matter how much she struggled.

She was half carried, half dragged to an enclosed carriage that was waiting in the laneway and she was thrown inside, with de Toledo climbing in after her, calling out to the driver to get going before he roughly gagged her with a silk handkerchief before she could scream; it all had happened so fast that no-one came to their help. The carriage ride was fast and rough and she lost all sense of direction from the moment she was tossed inside; not that it mattered for she had no idea of where she was in the large city but finally they came to a halt after what she thought was ten minutes, perhaps longer. Again she was roughly manhandled; this time with a blindfold over her eyes before she was pulled from the carriage and was half carried into a building, then down a flight of stairs, along a hallway and then tossed unceremoniously into the room she was in now.

de Toledo pulled off the blindfold and removed the gag and spoke the first words to her. "Pray that your husband cares more for you than the title."

She placed her hands on her hips. "He will find you and then you'll be sorry Señor." she said heatedly, furious at her treatment.

He grinned wickedly. "I'm counting on it, Señora." he replied before he closed the door and locked it from the outside.

His words made her shiver for it was obvious that she was to be the bait, once again. "Madre de dios, is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life, being used to trap Diego?" she muttered to herself. "Not if I can help it." She added as she looked around for any means of escape or weapon but after a thorough search of the small room, she found neither so she resigned herself to pacing to relieve her anxiety.

* * *

Diego kept a tight control on his anger and his fears as he and Ignacio stood waiting in the foray of a large imposing building to meet an acquaintance of de Soto's. It had been just over two hours since his wife's kidnapping and while Felipe and Ignacio had their wounds had been attended to by a doctor, Teo had reported the crime to the Royal Constabulary who began an immediate search for her, starting from the place where she had been abducted.

Felipe had been sent to bed with his head bandaged with Don Alejandro staying by his side but Ignacio refused to let his wound stop him from his duty and he had sent an urgent note to Armas; if anyone knew where de Toledo might be holding Victoria, it was Armas. He also knew that he would owe Armas another large favour for whatever information he could gather but this time it was different, for he felt responsible for what had happened even though his friend had not blamed him for it.

"Ah de Soto, sorry to keep you waiting." Armas said as he came around the corner and saw the two men waiting for him. "You must be de la Vega?"

Diego narrowed his eyes at the sight of the dishevelled man in front of him; he looked like he needed a hair cut and his clothes needed a clean and press but Ignacio told him to ignore his appearances. "I am. Do you know where de Toledo took my wife?"

"You must understand Don Diego that I haven't had much time..."

Diego finally lost his control. "NO, you understand Señor." he growled as he grabbed the man's coat and pushed him hard against the wall. "If any harm comes to my wife because of any delay, I will come after you."

Armas wasn't impressed by the dramatics and he simply turned his bored gaze to Ignacio.

Ignacio sighed and he moved forward and placed his good hand on Diego's shoulder. "Diego, he is the only one who can help." he said quietly. "I want to get him as much as you do; he killed one of my men."

Diego knew he had let his fears overcome his better judgement and he had given in to the irrational need to strike out at someone, even if that someone wasn't involved. He let go of Armas and slowly moved back. "Forgive me."

"Nothing to forgive, I would do the same if it had been my wife. Now as I was saying, I haven't had much time to ask around but word has already spread and with this terrible action de Toledo has lost any friends that he had left and no-one is interested in helping him. So he would have to be hiding in a place that only he knows about."

Ignacio nodded thoughtfully. "Does he still own any property in the city?"

"As a matter of fact, he does. When he was exiled, he didn't sell everything he had. He still owns several buildings in the downtown area as well as by the river." Armas replied as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This is a list of the four places that he could be at. It's all that I have at the moment but at least you can start your search here." he added as he handed it over to Diego.

Diego took the paper and looked down that the addresses and frowned. "I am not familiar with these places." he said as he handed it over to Ignacio, who read it.

"I believe I know where they are." He said as he looked up at Armas. "You will send word to the home of Señor de la Crúz if you hear anything."

Armas nodded. "Of course. I hope you find your wife, Don Diego." he said sincerely; no matter what his activities included, families were off limits to him.

Diego nodded and with Ignacio, he left the building and together they began their search.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N **- I've split this chapter into 2 parts just because I like to tease you :)

Chapter 12

Victoria sat on the small cot and wondered how long it had been since she had been kidnapped; it seemed like hours, possibly three or even longer and she knew that Diego would be terribly worried just as she was worried about Felipe and Ignacio and prayed that they weren't too badly injured but at least de Toledo had left her alone since he had put her in here. An idea formed in her mind; if she could just get him to open the door, perhaps she could hit him and then...what? She shook her head, she didn't know where she was, she could be in the middle of nowhere for all she knew but she had to take the chance.

She stood up and banged on the door. "Hey, I'm thirsty." she yelled out as she banged again. "Hey, are you there? You can't keep me here without food or water." she added as she kept banging on the door.

After five minutes of banging and shouting, no-one came and she began to worry even more. What if he had left her here on her own without any food or water? What if no-one could hear her? What if Diego couldn't find her, would she die here? She shuddered at the thought and again she looked around the room with growing panic; she didn't want to die here and once again she searched the room for a way to open the door. This time she pulled the dirty mattress off the cot and saw old metal wires stretching across the frame; perhaps if she could get one of the wires off, she might be able to unlock the door. But how? She couldn't just kick it; her shoes weren't sturdy enough but then she noticed the metal bucket in the corner.

"That will do." she muttered to herself as she picked up the bucket and gazed thoughtfully at the bed. "Where's the weakest point? The middle?" She grabbed the bucket in a tight grip and knelt down and began using it like a hammer against the inside of the frame where the middle wires were attached. At first, the harsh grating sound of metal hitting metal was very loud to her ears and each time she struck it, she waited to see if anyone would come to discover what the noise was but there was only silence, so she kept going.

It didn't take long for the rusty nails to give way and finally Victoria held a length of wire in her hand to use both as a weapon if she needed it and perhaps a way to unlock the door. She knelt in front of the door and placed the end of the wire in the keyhole and turned and twisted it in every way it could go but with no success. "Just how did Diego do this?" she muttered in frustration as she remembered the times that Diego, as Zorro, had opened any number of locks with such ease that he made it look easy.

Suddenly she heard footsteps coming towards her and she quickly scrambled to her feet. "Dios." she muttered as she hurriedly replaced the mattress back on the bed and sat down, hiding the piece of wire under her.

"Stand back from the door Señora." de Toledo called out as he unlocked the door and opened it to find her sitting on the cot. "Here." he said as he held out a plate with some bread and cheese on it and a large tankard of what she assumed was water.

Victoria felt her heart pound hard in her chest as stood up and took the offered items from him; should she attempt to escape or not? "Why are you doing this?" she asked as she placed the food on the cot and tankard on the floor, careful not to spill the water and at the same time she reached for the hidden wire.

"Its not personal Señora but your husband is in the way of what is mine." He replied as he stepped back.

"What makes you think that the King will give the title to you now, after what you have done?" She said; it was now or never but as she moved towards him, he must have seen her intentions and he cruelly backhanded her, sending her crashing to the floor.

He then pulled out a pistol from his waistband and aimed it at her face. "It doesn't matter to me if you live or die Señora, you've already served your purpose. Your choice." he said coldly and without remorse.

Her eyes misted up as she fought back tears of pain as she placed her hand against the side of her face where he hit her; she had no doubts that he would kill her and so she remained still on the floor, hoping that he would do nothing more to her.

"Good choice." He said as stepped out of the room with the gun still pointed at her before he closed the door and locked it.

Tears of pain slid down her face as she removed her hand and saw blood on her fingers; his large ring had cut her cheek. She trembling in shock at how close she had come to dying and she cursed her own stupidity; how she could think that she could overcome a grown man with just a piece of wire? Was she just going to stab him with it? She knew it wouldn't have stopped him unless she stabbed him in his heart but she shuddered at the thought of doing that; she had never killed anyone before and she didn't want to start now.

* * *

Over the next three hours Diego and Ignacio visited each of the four properties that was on the list that Armas had given to them and after thoroughly searching one place after another, they became increasingly desperate as they found no sign of Victoria; in fact three of the four places held families that leased the building from an independent agent, while the fourth was vacant and had no sign of habitation.

Ignacio stood beside his friend outside the fourth and final address. "I'm sorry Diego, I really thought that we would find her in one of these buildings." he said quietly.

Diego let out a ragged breath as he ran his fingers through his hair. "It's not your fault Ignacio." he replied, trying hard not to let his fears overwhelm him. "Where is she?" he muttered as he gazed around the area and as he did so, he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise; it was his sixth sense again, something that he had learnt to trust over the years and he wasn't going to ignore it. He frowned as he swept his gaze slowly around him once more and then focused on a small two storey building that seemed to be abandoned by its broken windows and general lack of maintenance, on the other side of the road.

Ignacio noticed his friend's gaze and saw his hand tightened on his sword hilt. "What is it?" he asked.

"She's there." he muttered as he walked off in the direction of the building.

Ignacio sighed and hurried after him, cursing silently at the pain in his arm. "Diego wait! What makes you think she is in this building?"

"I just know."

Ignacio grabbed his arm. "Listen, even if you're right, you can't just go in there. You don't know what traps he has laid for you."

Diego turned to face him. "Don't forget who you are dealing with, Ignacio. I managed to get out of all of the traps that you laid for me." he replied coolly.

Ignacio saw the arrogant side of Diego that had always annoyed him but he let it pass without comment. "That maybe so but you don't know the layout of this building, it's not like you can just drop down from the roof and surprise him." He paused as he held his injured arm. "Believe it or not I can understand what you are feeling, if it was the woman that I loved being held prisoner, I too would do anything to save her." He paused to allow his words to sink in before he spoke again. "Let's look around the building, see what we can find, there could be doors or windows that are blocked and you need to know that first. You know that I am right." he added solemnly.

Diego slowly let out his breath; he knew that Ignacio was right, he just couldn't barge in without knowing where the exits were. It wasn't the first time he had seen the real change in his one time enemy, gone was that arrogant, self interested man and was replaced by a more cautious one. "Alright, lets look around but I won't leave until I've search the entire building." he replied.

"I expect nothing less Diego."

The two men spend the next five minutes looking around the outside of the abandoned building and after finding fresh horse tracks and a man's bootprints in the dirt, they knew that they had the right place and they decided that it would be best to separate; if de Toledo did kill or wound one of them, then at least the other stood a chance of finding Victoria and getting her to safety. Diego climbed up to the first floor and entered through an open window while Ignacio entered through a side door on the ground floor.

de Toledo had just returned to the building when he heard a noise from outside. He carefully looked out a window just in time to see de la Vega and another man disappear around the side. "Well, well. He's found this place much faster than I had expected." he muttered, surprised by the speed of the discovery; he had been expecting it to take several days, not less than half a day. He had underestimated de la Vega and but he won't do it again, he promised himself.

* * *

Victoria had carefully cleaned the stinging scratch on her face as best that she could with a piece of her petticoat that she had dampened with water and now as she sat on the edge of the cot, she looked at the plate with the bread and cheese with distaste. She didn't want to eat, she wasn't hungry but she also knew that this might be the only food he would give her and she needed to keep her strength up, so she tore off a piece of bread and cheese and slowly ate it.

Suddenly she froze as she heard a faint noise and wondered if it de Toledo was coming back but after several moments, she didn't hear anything else.

"Where are you Diego?" she muttered to herself as she took another bite of the bread as she gazed intently at the door; perhaps she should try to unlock it again, at least it would give her something to do, she mused to herself.

* * *

The object of her thoughts was two floors above her, cautiously but thoroughly searching each of the dusty and dirty rooms on the first floor. "Victoria, where are you?" he muttered softly as he held his favourite sword in an easy grip.

As he quietly descended the flight of stairs to the ground floor, he heard movement below him and tightened his grip on his sword but when he saw Ignacio walking cautiously below him, he let out his breath. "Ignacio." he said softly as he continued down the stairs.

Ignacio jumped slightly at Diego's voice above him; it brought back too many memories of being caught unaware by Zorro and he gritted his teeth as Diego stopped beside him. "Will you stop doing that." he hissed with annoyance.

Diego saw the strange expression on Ignacio's face and despite the seriousness of the situation, he grinned; he knew what it meant, he too had a moment of what the French called déjà vu of coming upon the other man in a Zorro like manner. "Nothing?" he whispered.

Ignacio shook his head. "I haven't checked the front section yet and there's stairs going down to a basement..." Before he could continue, Diego felt a presence nearby and pushed Ignacio out of the way, just a pistol fired and the bullet whizzed passed them and then they heard a muffled curse.

"You'll have to try harder than that de Toledo if you want to get me." Diego called out from behind the staircase.

Ignacio was beside him, cradling his injured arm, knowing that if Diego hadn't pulled him away, he would have been dead.

de Toledo chuckled. "I wasn't aiming for you de la Vega. I'm saving you for last."

Diego frowned as he craned his neck over the staircase to see where the other man was but couldn't see anything. "Why don't we discuss this calmly." he called out before he turned to Ignacio. "Go and find Victoria and get her to safety." he ordered. "This is my fight."

Ignacio nodded and moved quietly back towards where he saw a narrow flight of stairs leading down to what he assumed was the basement.

"What's there to discuss de la Vega. You have what I want and I intend to get it." de Toledo replied; his voice echoing around the empty building, making it hard to discover where he was. He stayed where he was for he wanted de la Vega to come to him.

Diego thought about his options, if he could just keep him talking long enough for Ignacio to get Victoria out but at the same time he had to find where de Toledo was. His eyes had long ago adjusted to the dim light of the abandoned house and as his gaze swept around, he saw the bullet hole on the opposite wall. As he studied it, he used what he knew about mathematics and various angles and came to the conclusion that de Toledo was on the same floor as himself but somewhere off to the right of him; if he had fired it from a higher position, the bullet hole would be angled downwards whereas this particular bullet hole was about shoulder height and straight.

"We don't always get what we want de Toledo." he called out as he thought about going back up the stairs but decided against it for he didn't know where he was in relation to the rest of the building. Then he saw an open door across the hallway and as he craned his neck to get a better look inside, he saw that there was another door on the far side the room, which he assumed led to somewhere else. Perhaps it would lead him closer to de Toledo, he mused to himself.

"That's not quite true, if you want something bad enough, you will make it happen." de Toledo replied. "Everyone has their price, you just have to find what it is. Your price is your wife, a rather lovely woman if I may say so."

Diego frowned but refused to be baited as he slipped into the room and crossed quickly to the second door and carefully opened it. He flinched when the hinges made a terrible screeching sound but the noise couldn't be helped and he only opened it wide enough for him to slip through and he was pleased to discover that it was another empty room, which had it's own exit on the far side; it must have been two adjoining bedrooms at one stage, he mused to himself as he moved over to that door and quietly opened it to hear de Toledo baiting him again but this time he knew where the voice was coming from.

"What! No response from you about your pretty wife, de la Vega. Any other man would demand satisfaction." de Toledo gloated. "Perhaps you're not the man to satisfy her, perhaps she needs a real man..." he stopped his taunting when he felt a sword point on the back on his neck.

"I demand satisfaction." Diego said coldly as he held his sword on the man who had kidnapped his wife, shot his son, wounded Ignacio and murdered a guardsman and not to mention hiring an assassin to kill them.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Victoria had finished eating the bread and cheese and was kneeling once more in front of the door; she was determined to get it opened this time when she heard a sound like a pistol being fired nearby. She stopped what she was doing and held her breath as she strained to hear anything more and after a moment she heard footsteps and then her name being called out.

"Victoria! Victoria, its Ignacio."

"Ignacio?" she muttered in surprise as she rose to her feet. "In here." she shouted and banged on the door to get his attention.

A moment later, his voice called out. "Stand back from the door." he ordered.

She did as she was told and a moment later she jumped at the deafening sound of a gun being fired in an enclosed space and seconds later the door was kicked in.

Ignacio grimaced at the jolt of pain in his arm that his actions caused him. "Come Victoria." he said, then he frowned when he saw her face. "Are you okay?"

Victoria nodded as she walked out of her prison. "I'm okay but what about you and Felipe? And where's Diego?" she asked as he led her in the way he had come.

"I'm fine and so is Felipe. Diego is..." he paused as they heard the sounds of swords clashing; she had her answer. "Come, I'm to take you outside to safety." he said as he walked up the stairs with Victoria behind him.

"But...but what about Diego?" she said worriedly as she stepped through a door and out into the daylight, where she was surprised to find that it was late afternoon; she had been held prisoner for almost six hours.

Ignacio gave her a wry smile as he led the way around the side of the building. "I think we both know that he can take care of himself. And besides, I can't help him with my arm and I don't have another loaded pistol." he added as they reached the relative safety of the road.

* * *

Diego was cautiously measuring de Toledo's skill with the blade as they duelled within the large dusty and empty room of the abandoned house and he found that the other man was rather good with the blade; he obviously had studied under a master during his youth and as such he wasn't going to underestimate him; not that he would have done in any case, for he always studied each opponent on their individual merits and not by his own skills. He wasn't that arrogant to think that no one could beat him.

de Toledo was also measuring his opponent's skill and was surprised to find him well versed in the art of fencing; it wasn't something that he had expected from someone who had lived in the colonies. He was almost as good as himself, he mused arrogantly and all he had to do was to find his weakness and exploit it to his advantage and he knew the perfect thing. "Your wife really was a lovely woman, de la Vega, it's sad that you won't enjoy a long life with her, not after what happened."

Diego knew better than to respond, no matter what he said about Victoria; he had to control his anger if he was going to defeat him. He parried the sudden lunge de Toledo executed. "Really de Toledo, if you don't have anything original to say, then don't say anything." he replied with a grin as he quickly executed some moves of his own which the other man matched but Diego noticed a slight hesitation in the other man; was it something he could use?

de Toledo hid his smile as he slowly baited the other man with his intentional lapses in concentration and slowly drew him towards the place where he wanted him. "Whoever your fencing instructor was, must be very disappointed in you." he smirked. "You're moves are rather predictable."

Diego grinned. "I doubt that Sir Edmund Kendall would see it like that." he replied as he quickly stepped aside, causing de Toledo to stumble forward with his momentum. "By the way, I only think it's fair to warn you that this is his championship sabre that I happen to win from him."

de Toledo straightened up and couldn't stop himself from muttering. "You won it?" Everyone knew that Kendall had handed over his prized sabre to his star pupil; something he swore he would do only to the man who could beat him but he never suspected that it was de la Vega.

Diego smirked as he rested his sword on his shoulder; he was pleased by the surprised look on de Toledo's face. "Yes and it has never let me down."

de Toledo became angry at the arrogance of the man and wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face. "Until now, de la Vega." he bellowed as he forgot the very first lesson that Sir Miles Thackery had taught him; don't give in to anger.

Diego was ready for the charge and again he nimbly sidestepped him and to add insult to injury, he swatted de Toledo hard on the backside with the flat side of his sword. "You really should learn some manners, it isn't polite to charge at people like some crazed bull."

de Toledo pulled himself up to his full height, his chest heaving from his rage at his humiliation but even in his anger, he saw that his trap was about to be set, all he needed was for de la Vega to make a move to the right. He faced his opponent again and with a flurry of elaborate moves, he deliberated manoeuvred de la Vega where he wanted him.

Diego was surprised by the ferocious and rapid movements and he found himself fighting with all his prowess; something that he hadn't had to do for some time and so he didn't realise what was happening until the wooden floor beneath him collapsed, causing his left leg to drop through the hole up to his thigh and he lost all sense of balance. He grimaced in pain as several slivers of wood pierced his skin as he struggled to free his leg but he fell further downwards.

de Toledo smirked wickedly. "Say your prayers de la Vega." he said as he raised his sword.

Diego knew he couldn't free himself in time and there was no way he could reach him; he had dropped his sword and it was just out of reach of his fingers, and as he gazed up at the man, he had a moment of pure clarity and he knew that he was about to die at the hands of the madman and the only thing that he was grateful for, was that Victoria wasn't there to see the moment of his death.

Suddenly de Toledo staggered back, his sword clattered to the dusty floor and for a moment he gazed down in shock at the bloody wound in the middle of his chest before he too fell to the floor in such a way that Diego knew he was dead.

Diego cursed as he finally freed himself, pulled out a number of splinters from his leg and turned around to see who had fired the weapon, therefore saving his life. He thought it might have been Ignacio but he was stunned to see a familiar looking man who was holding a smoking pistol in his hand and it took him several seconds to realise that it was Andres Bellanos of the Royal Constabulary, who had once come to Los Angeles in search of the whistling bandit.

"Muchas gracias Señor, you have a good sense of timing." He said as the older man came up to him. "How did you know we were here?" he asked as he bent over and picked up his sword.

Bellanos watched as one of his men moved over to the body of de Toledo to see if he was dead or alive but he shook his head.

"Just by sheer luck, Don Diego. We were unable to find any witnesses to your wife's kidnapping except for a description of an ordinary carriage that had been seen leaving the area, so we had to go back to basics. We searched the land title records and were able to trace some of the property that de Toledo still owned to the building across the road and when we arrived we met your lovely wife and de Soto outside and they told us that you were in here with de Toledo." Bellanos replied. "We only came to this particular house because it was the second address on our route, it could have well been the last."

Diego was elated to know that Victoria was safe and well. "Which I'm very much grateful for Señor. So what happens now?" he asked as he limped towards the doorway, he reshealthed his sword.

Bellanos sighed as he walked beside the younger man. "There will be an inquiry, of course. You and your wife and Don Ignacio will need to give statements but it's just a formality for he was caught in the act of kidnapping, attempted murder and murder of the Royal Lancer. It's something that no-one can dispute." he answered as they reached the door.

"Diego!" Victoria cried out as she saw her husband emerging from the building and raced across the road.

Diego ignored the pain in his leg and rushed down the stairs just as his wife launched herself into his arms. He staggered under the force but he managed to stay on his feet and wrapped his arms around her in a fierce embrace. "Thank god you are safe querida." he whispered against her hair before he pulled back slightly. He frowned as he saw the painful red welt on her cheek and the bruising that was starting to show and he reached up with his hand but she flinched away before he could touch her.

"It's okay Diego, he only slapped me and his ring caught on my face. He did nothing else." she added to his unasked question. "Is he dead? Is it all over?"

"Yes, its all over." he said as he pulled her back into his arms just Ignacio came up to them. The two men exchanged a look over Victoria's shoulder that bespoke of Diego's gratitude and respect for what the older man had done and Ignacio acknowledged it with a slight nod and a smile.

Diego pulled back from his embrace. "Let's go home. Come with us Ignacio and we'll get the doctor to check your wound again."

Ignacio nodded once more. "Gracias Diego." he replied as they walked towards their carriage leaving Bellanos and his men to see to the body of de Toledo.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Two weeks after the kidnapping of Doña Victoria Escalante and the subsequent death of de Toledo made headline news around the city, the de la Vega household was in a panic; a panic that had nothing to do with any criminal deeds but due to the coronation of Diego de la Vega as Marqués of Villafranca which was to take place at 4pm that afternoon at the Royal Palace.

They had moved into their official residence a week prior; a large, spacious two storey five bedroom villa with formal dining room and sala as well as several informal rooms for their own private use. There was a ground floor office for Diego and Teo and at the rear of the villa was a large kitchen and laundry and on the west side was a large courtyard and garden which had a water fountain in the centre, and on the east side was the stable for their horses and nearby were separate quarters for their newly hired servants; butler, housekeeper, cook, two maids and a stableboy.

Victoria was stunned by the luxurious home that she was to oversee and she was worried of how she would do that so she asked her father-in-law for suggestions and he had jokingly told her to run the villa just as she would her tavern but after thinking about it, his suggestion made some sense. Her tavern had six bedrooms, including her own, the taproom was like the formal dining area of the villa and Pilar and Maria were her staff, she couldn't call them servants because she never saw them as such; they were her friends as well as her workers.

What she didn't know was how they could afford it. At first she was hesitant to ask Diego for they had never really discussed money matters but as she was to handle the housekeeping books, she needed to know where the income was coming from. So when she questioned Diego about it, he confirmed that the villa and the staff was being paid for by the state, while he himself would receive a small retainer because they had no lands of their own in which to obtain rents from tenants or money from harvests and with the money that his father gave him from the profits of their ranch in Los Angeles, it was more than enough to live on.

But now Victoria sat at her dresser and gazed into the mirror as her maid styled her hair into a formidable looking bun; she thought it was too severe but Eve had assured her it was the current fashion. She was pleased that the cut on her cheek healed and there was only a small scar that was unnoticeable unless someone actually knew it was there and looked for it. She still remembered that day as though it was only yesterday and of the nightmares that she had that night and the following two nights where she had cried out in her sleep until Diego woke her and held her, comforting her until she fell back to sleep.

Her musings were interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by Don Alejandro's voice. "Victoria, may I come in?" he called out.

Victoria smiled. "Of course, father." she answered as she turned to Eve. "Gracias Eve, that will be all for the moment." she said.

Eve smiled as she dropped a small curtsey. "Yes ma'am." she replied as Don Alejandro walked in carrying a small box. He gave the young woman a smile as she left before he turned his attention to his daughter-in-law. "You are look beautiful, Victoria." he complimented with a warm smile.

She flushed a little as she stood up and gazed down at her emerald green formal ball gown with a white wrap and matching white elbow length gloves which she would put on later. "Gracias father, you are looking very handsome yourself." She replied as she took in his dark suit with vest and sash and pinned to his chest were three medals. "I never knew you had medals, was it from your time in the military?" she asked.

Don Alejandro nodded. "Yes, it was. I haven't worn them for a very long time but it's appropriate for today." he replied. "I have something for you." he said as he held the box in his hands.

"Oh father, you've given me too many things already. I don't need anything else."

He smiled at her humility. "I know but I want you to have this. When my wife passed away, I allowed Diego to have her jewellery for his future wife, if she so desired them..." he paused as she nodded; her engagement ring was one such item. "Well I held back several pieces that I wanted to give to my daughter-in-law myself." He said as he opened the box.

Victoria gasped as she saw an exquisite emerald and diamond necklace with matching earrings.

"The ring that you have completes the set and it is very dear to me. I gave this to Felicidad on our first anniversary and she wore them every time we went to the Governor's Spring Ball." he replied with a husky voice.

She felt hot tears well in her eyes. "But...I...can't take this from you, not with all your memories of her."

Don Alejandro's eyes misted up at her consideration for his memories of his beloved wife. "I thank you for that Victoria but I want you to have them, I know that Felicidad would want you to have them and for you to give them to your daughter or daughter-in-law when the time comes. Besides, I don't think they would look good on me." he joked, trying to lighten the moment.

She chuckled even as she struggled with her feelings. "No, I don't think they would." she replied.

He nodded as he placed the box on the dresser and removed the necklace. "Let me put it on for you." he said as he moved behind her and placed it around her neck and fastened it. "There. Now with the earrings on, you will outshine all those other ladies at the ceremony."

Victoria no longer fought back her tears as she wrapped her arms around her father-in-law and hugged him fiercely.

Don Alejandro was overwhelmed her embrace and fought to control his own feelings. "Hey, stop this, you don't want to go to the ceremony with bloodshot eyes do you?" he said hoarsely.

She shook her head as she pulled back and wiped her tears away. "I guess not." she sniffled.

"Good, now I'll let you finish getting ready and I'll see you both downstairs." he said as he turned and left the room before he disgraced himself.

Victoria took a deep breath and turned back to the box and with trembling hands, she placed the earrings on.

"Father is right, you will outshine all the others, querida."

She twirled around and saw her husband just inside the door to their private bathroom. "You heard."

Diego nodded as he came towards her. "Those emeralds are nothing compared to your beauty." he said softly, his voice full of love.

She looked down at the necklace and gently touched the precious stones. "Did you know about this?"

He shook his head. "Not until the day we left Los Angeles. I do have some vague memories of seeing mother with this necklace and earrings but I had completely forgotten about it until father told me that he wanted to give you something special."

Victoria nodded. "So this is why you wanted me to get the green coloured gown, so it would match these stones."

Diego gave her his most innocent look. "Would I really interfere in the selection of your clothing?"

She chuckled; she didn't believe him. "If it suited your purpose then yes, I think you would." She replied as she took in his state of undress. "Don't you think it's time for you to get dress yourself."

He grinned as he looked down at his trousers and shirtsleeves. "Oh I don't know, I thought I might go like this."

"Oh you, go and get dressed Diego." She ordered as she shoved him in the direction of his wardrobe.

* * *

Three hours later, Don Alejandro, with Victoria and Felipe and with Teo and his wife Teresa standing beside them, watched proudly as his son, dressed in the ceremonial red robes was crowned Marqués by the King of Spain in the Main Hall of the Royal Palace, in front of a hundred other people from the ranks of Nobility and from political area, including the Prime Minister of Spain as well as influential business leaders. The prayers had just been read by Cardinal Luis Maria de Borbón y Vallabriga and now Diego knelt on one knee in front of the King, waiting to be to ordain as the newest member of the Nobility.

Ignacio de Soto could barely contain his smirk at seeing his former foe looking uncomfortable. "I don't think I have ever seen your son looking so...so awkward as he is now." He said quietly.

Don Alejandro couldn't disagree. "Never have I, Ignacio." He whispered back with a smile of his own.

Diego felt very self-conscious as he knelt in front of the King, mindful of the long red robes that he was wearing; he didn't want to trip on the heavy material. He never liked being the centre of attention which is probably one of the reasons that he put on the mask but this time he had no black silk to hide behind. He dared not look at his family for he didn't know whether he would burst out in nervous laughter or whether he would be sick, so he kept his eyes on the square marble tile on the floor.

King Ferdinand took the coronet from the red cushion that his private secretary was holding and over it over Diego's head. "I, Ferdinand the Seventh, House of Bourbon, King of Spain and her Glorious Empire, hereby proclaim Diego Sebastian de la Vega, Marqués of Villafranca." he announced as he lowered the coronet onto his newest Marqués head. "Rise Kinsman."

Diego rose carefully to his feet so not to dislodge the coronet from the top of his head. "Your Majesty." he said with downcast eyes as required by Royal Protocol.

The King nodded as he gestured to his aide, who stepped forward. "Your Majesty, Lords and Ladies, may I present his Most Illustrious Lord, Diego de la Vega, Marqués of Villafranca." he announced to all, which marked the end of the official ceremony and the beginning of the festivities.

Diego again felt very conspicuous in his red robes as there was a round of polite applause before the King spoke up. "Congratulations Kinsman, perhaps one day we will have that talk about El Zorro but for now, enjoy yourself." He said with a smile before he gestured to his young Queen, who placed her hand on his arm and together they walked down the Hall, causing the gathered crowd to bow or curtsey as he walked by them.

His family came up to him with large proud smiles on their faces, while Teo began to introduce them to the citizens who came up and offered their congratulations; some they had already met in the last two weeks at varies luncheons and dinner parties held in their honour, while many others were meeting them for the first time.

Ignacio waited until everyone had offered their congratulations before he crossed over to Diego and gave a small bow. "Congratulations, my Most Illustrious Lord." he greeted with a gleam in his blue eyes.

Diego frowned at the smirk that was tugging on Ignacio's lips. "Ignacio, its bad enough when others bow but when you do it to, it's highly annoying. You're enjoying it way too much." he added.

Ignacio stroked his beard in an effort to hide his amusement. "'Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown' eh Diego." he quoted.

Diego smiled despite himself at the Shakespearean quote. "Something like that." he replied as he gazed around the crowd and his eyes came across his family talking with a middle aged Count and Countess, who seemed to be wearing more jewellery than the Queen herself.

"Diego, there's someone who wants to meet you." Ignacio said carefully.

Diego raised an eyebrow at the warning in his friend's voice. "Oh who?"

"Don Ambrosio Maximiliano Hernádez."

"Ah, the leader of the Liberals. I can see why you are being cautious Ignacio, but how do you know him. I wouldn't have thought that you would support them"

Ignacio shrugged slightly. "My loyalty is to the Crown but that doesn't mean that I can't see what is happening between the factions; I just try and stay out of it as much as I can. Don Ambrosio is politically important Diego, which is why he is here, the King would have been foolish to insult such an important person by not inviting him." he paused for a moment and he gazed at the younger man. "I believe that Don Ambrosio wants to sound you out about your own political views."

Diego nodded thoughtfully. "I guess this is something that I have to deal with now, isn't it. Politics."

Ignacio was surprised by the ignorance or rather the naivety of his friend. "Whether you like it or not, politics is now part of your life. You will eventually have to decide which side you are on or at least learn to walk a fine line between the factions. Surely Teo would have discussed this with you before you decided to take the title?"

Diego sighed. "Actually he did; he himself is moderate in his political leanings and in a lot of ways, I agree with him but I just didn't think it would come up so soon." he replied as he had a strange fleeting sensation that he might have had made a mistake in accepting the title for he had never really been interested in politics other than making sure that the people were treated fairly and with justice; even those who were guilty of a crime were entitled to a fair hearing but that odd feeling disappeared as fast as it came.

"Well, led on Ignacio." He said.

* * *

From inside the Grand Ballroom, the strains of the prelude to a popular waltz being played by the musicians, floated across to Diego, signalling to him the beginning of the dancing. He went in search of his wife as they were to open the dancing and he found her talking with several ladies who were bedecked in their finest gowns and jewellery.

He bowed his head. "Please forgive my intrusion, ladies." He said with a smile as he turned to his wife. "I believe that this is our dance." he added as he held out his hand to her.

Victoria smiled at her husband as she took his hand. "Please excuse us." she said to the Countess and her friends.

"Of course Marquesa." The eldest of the ladies said with a smile.

Diego led Victoria out to the dance floor and took up the position for the waltz and as he held her, he felt how stiff she was. "Relax and enjoy the dance querida." he whispered as he began to move them in time with the music.

"I can't Diego, not with all these people watching." She whispered back as she tried to keep a polite smile on her face, even if it meant that her cheeks burned with the strain.

"Well at least you didn't have to wear the robes and the coronet that I thought was going to fall at the King's feet." he teased as several other couples joined them on the floor.

She relaxed a little, pleased that they were no longer alone on the floor. "At least you're not wearing them now. It would be hard to dance while wearing them."

He chuckled softly as he twirled her around. "Yes it would be." he replied but then he felt her stiffen again. "What is it?"

"It's Felipe, that young woman just refused to dance with him." she hissed; she was becoming quite protective of the young man.

Diego turned them so he was looking in the direction and saw his son moving away from a rather attractive young woman. "It's okay Victoria, it's just the risk we take when asking a lady to dance, even I had a number of rejections when I was his age and it probably won't be his last either. Look, see, he's with Teo and he's introducing another young lady to him." He said as he turned enough to allow her to gaze over his shoulder before he twirled her around again. "You see, they're going out to dance." he grinned, pleased that his son hadn't let the earlier rejection put him off from asking another lady to dance.

Victoria saw them and forced herself to relax and she began enjoying herself but as Felipe and his partner danced, she saw him flick a glance to the young woman who had turned him down and no matter what Diego had said, it was obvious to her that Felipe was indeed affected by it and she wondered what the woman had said to him.

Even as Felipe enjoyed himself as he danced with Lady Delfina Cintrón, who had been introduced by Teo, he still felt the sting of the comment by the other lady. He knew that he would face prejudice because of his speech; he had practiced hard the last two weeks so that he wouldn't stutter as much as he did but he never expected such a hateful comment from someone who should have better manners than himself.

"You dance very well Don Felipe." Lady Delfina complimented with a smile.

Felipe pulled his thoughts back to the young woman in his arms. "Gracias. " he replied with a shy smile. She was quite beautiful with her honey colour skin and her dark expressive eyes. "So...do do yo..you." he winced at his stutter. He expected her to make a comment about it but was pleased that she ignored it.

"Thank you Don Felipe, although my dancing teacher once said that I had two left feet and that I would end up tripping my partner and so I'm delighted to prove him wrong." She commented pleasantly. She was quite surprised that he held her in a firm but easy hold; not like some of her male acquaintances who seemed to think that dancing was an excuse to hold her tight against them.

He smiled at her comment. "I..did...trip my...fa..father once." he replied as he again winced at his speech.

Lady Delfina noticed his unease because of his stuttering and her heart went out to him. "Please forgive me for saying this Don Felipe, but don't be embarrassed about your speech. I have a cousin who stutters and he doesn't let it stop him from doing anything." she said understandingly.

The smile that reached his dark eyes showed just how much he appreciated what she had said as they settled into the waltz and he glided her around the floor with a lightness in his heart.

* * *

The celebration was ending and as Victoria made her way to the ladies cloakroom to collect her wrap, she came across the young woman who had rejected Felipe with several of her friends, including the young woman who had danced with him, talking nearby.

"Really Delfina, how could you have danced with him; he's not part of our class, he couldn't speak without stuttering and even his accent was terrible." she said cruelly.

"Oh Eloisa, don't be like that, Felipe de la Vega is quite nice." Delfina replied.

Victoria knew she shouldn't be listening for it was bad manners to eavesdrop but she couldn't move without them noticing her so she stayed where she was. She felt a presence behind her and gasped softly to see a white faced Felipe standing there and she squeezed his arm in support; he too had overheard the cruel comments about himself.

"For a commoner, you mean. " commented another young woman. "No-one knows who his parents were, they could have been criminals for all we know."

Delfina shook her head. "You really are snobs, even you came from common stock, Ester."

Ester took exception to that remark. "How dare you say that Delfina, I'll have you know that I'm descended from the old Kings of Spain."

Delfina snorted delicately. "So am I, but even those kings were once nothing but barbarians who were conquered by the Ancient Romans and it was the Romans who civilised us."

"Believe what you want Delfina, nothing will change the fact that he is a commoner and will always remain so, even if he takes the title." Eloisa said as she turned with a flick of her head and strode away with Ester following her.

Delfina sighed as she watched her friends leave; she had liked the young man, he was different from the other men of their acquaintance. He didn't have the smug arrogance that the others had and he was shy in a very sweet way. She shook her head as she followed them; why should it matter how a person was born, it should be the way they behave towards others, that was more important, she thought to herself.

Victoria slowly let out an angry breath and turned to Felipe. "Don't let what they said get to you, they are just ignorant young women who should know better. Your true friends will accept you as you are and if they can't, well that is their problem not yours and besides that young lady, Delfina, she stood up for you." She sort to re-assure him.

Felipe nodded as he saw his father come up behind them, along with his grandfather and Teo and Teresa.

"Ready to go home?" Diego asked.

Felipe quickly made signs to Victoria, knowing that she wouldn't understand him but she saw his plea and nodded slightly, she wouldn't mention what happened, at least not right now but he knew that she would tell his father later; there were no secrets between them.

"Yes, we're ready Diego, I'll just get my wrap and we can go." She replied.

* * *

**A/N** - One chapter to go :)


	15. Chapter 15

Epilogue.

Six weeks after Diego was crowned Marqués, he was saying farewell to both his father and his friend, Ignacio. His father having decided that it was time to return home to Los Angeles; he had been away for four months and he couldn't stay away any longer from his responsibility to the ranch. While Ignacio had been ordered to return to his posting at the Spanish Embassy in England since the threat to Diego and his family had vanished with the death of de Toledo. Both men had decided to travel together to Cadiz where Don Alejandro would take a ship to the Americas and Ignacio would take one to England.

"I'm going to miss you father." Victoria said as she walked arm in arm with her father-in-law towards the front door where their carriage was waiting to take the two men to the stage coach depot in the heart of the city.

"And I'm going to miss all of you too." Don Alejandro replied. It was the truth, he was going to miss them a great deal and wished that they weren't going to be on opposite sides of the world but they had their own lives to live now; he couldn't expect them to stay just to keep him company in his large home. He was just going to have to visit his friends a lot more, he mused to himself.

"Well I have some news that you can think about on the way home." She said with a warm smile.

"Oh what news would that be?" He asked curiously.

Her smile widened. "The news that you are going to be a grandfather." She had wanted to save the news for this very moment to tell her father-in-law and not the previous night when she had told Diego and he had agreed; although he had been bursting to tell his father the news all morning. She wanted the older man to leave with happy news.

Don Alejandro stopped and stared at her. "A baby? You're having a child?" he said with a smile that grew even wider when she nodded. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her fiercely. "That's great news, just absolutely wonderful. I'm so thrilled, so happy for you both." He said as he pulled back. "So that's why Diego couldn't stop smiling this morning. I thought it was very strange that he should be so happy considering that I am leaving today."

Victoria grinned as they started walking again. "He couldn't stop smiling, could he? You know that I haven't been feeling well lately and that Diego thought it was because of the food we have been eating, it is different from we are used to back home..."

Don Alejandro nodded. "Which was why he was reading all those books, to see what food was affecting you. Oh my lord, he mistook your sickness for some kind of food poisoning. Did you know yourself what it was?" he grinned.

She giggled. "Yes, I had some suspicions but Diego was so determined that it was the food that I didn't have the heart to tell him until I knew for certain. You should have seen the look on his face when he realised that it wasn't the food after all and that he had wasted his time reading up on it."

Don Alejandro roared with laughter. "I'm never going to let him forget this." he said as they walked outside and saw Diego and Felipe standing by the carriage with Ignacio. "So, my son, I don't think you would have made a good doctor after all. Fancy thinking that Victoria had food poisoning, it just goes to show that you can't learn everything from a book." he teased him.

Diego grinned sheepishly. "Oh I don't know father, I was just reading the WRONG books." he replied as he hugged his father tightly.

"I'm so pleased with the news Diego, so happy that you are going to be a father yourself." Don Alejandro said.

"Gracias. I am going to miss you father." he whispered.

"I will miss you too son." Don Alejandro replied as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

Ignacio crossed over to Victoria. "Diego just told me the news, congratulations, I think you will make a great mother."

She beamed. "Thank you Ignacio. I hope I will." she replied. "Perhaps one day you will know the joy of becoming a father." she said.

He smiled warmly. "Perhaps one day I will. You know that all of you would be welcome to come to England for a visit, there are a number of guest rooms at the Embassy that you can stay in."

She nodded. "I think we would like that Ignacio."

He leant over and kissed her cheeks. "Buenos dias Victoria, take care of yourself."

"You too." she replied as he climbed into the carriage.

Don Alejandro pulled his grandson into a fierce embrace. "I'm going to miss you Felipe."

Felipe held tight to the older man. "I will mi..miss yo..you too." he replied with misted eyes.

Don Alejandro nodded as they pulled apart and went to join Ignacio in the carriage. "Take care of each other and make sure you write to me about my new grandchild." he said as the driver flicked the reins and urged the horses on.

"Don't worry father , you'll be the first person we'll write to." Diego replied with a smile as he placed his arm around Victoria's waist, while Felipe stood beside them and together they watched the carriage go down the driveway and after one last wave, the carriage turned down the road and disappeared from view.

Diego let out a sigh, he was going to miss his father a great deal and he was even going to miss Ignacio's company; it was strange that even after all they had gone through, they had become firm friends; which had been a surprise to both of them.

Victoria squeezed his hand. "He's going to be fine Diego."

He nodded and planted a soft kiss to her hair. "I know he will be. Come lets go inside, Teo will be here soon to discuss our plans for the future." he said as he guided his wife and son inside their villa.

* * *

The End of part 2

**A/N** - I may have unintentionally misled a number of you to think that I've stopped writing this story by saying that there was only 1 chapter to go - what I meant was that there was only 1 chapter left in this middle part of the trilogy, so I'm on my knees begging forgiveness from my loyal followers. LOL.

And just to make it up to you here's a little teaser of what's to come, just to wet your appetite :) I've only just started writing this final section so it might be some time before I get it posted

z.z.z.z.z.z

Madrid, Spain.

Senorita Josefina Moreno was in the dusty attic of her father's home going through his belongings when she came across an old trunk in the far corner. She opened the heavy lid to see what treasures that might be hidden in it and at the bottom, under some old clothing, she discovered a small leather satchel and as she lifted it out and untied the straps, several small notebooks, in her father's handwriting, fell out. She stood up, with the notebooks in her hand and moved to the small window to read them. She opened the first one and read the covering page.

_I, Sebastian Moreno, travelled to Los Angeles, California in the Spanish colonies in the New World in the summer of 1818, in search of a legend and to write a story but in doing so, I discovered more about myself than the identity of El Zorro. I had been willing to do anything in order to gain that knowledge and in the end, it had been El Zorro who had saved me from my own foolishness. I had thought to destroy my notes but I have kept them for posterity's sake. Perhaps, in time, the truth can be revealed but not at the expense of the man himself or his family. This much I owe him._

"So father HAD discovered the identity of the bandit." she muttered...


End file.
